Chief Hamaundu of the Tonga speaking people of Pemba district has given his subjects a 14 day ultimatum in which to build pit latrines or risk being prosecuted by the law.
Chief Hamaundu says about 22 villages in Kasiya ward have poor sanitation coverage therefore affecting the possibility of the chiefdom being declared open defecation free.
Speaking when he addressed 22 village headmen from the affected villages in his chiefdom yesterday, chief Hamaundu said it was very disappointing that some people in his chiefdom are still using the bush to answer the call of nature despite several efforts government is putting in promoting toilet usage.
He said a household which will fail to build a toilet in the next 14 days will be prosecuted or even sent out of the chiefdom as they are contributing to increased diarrhea diseases in his chiefdom.
Meanwhile AKROS water and sanitation coordinator Annie Mutunda says AKROS is concerned with poor hygiene practices such as lack of toilets which is one of the major causes of Trachoma.
Ms Mutunda said Trachoma is a disease that is caused by poor sanitation and has the potential to cause blindness especially among children below the age of 9 years.
Ms Mutunda said her organization is concerned with the huge sums of money government is spending on treating diseases related to poor sanitation which can be prevented by embracing good hygiene practices.
Chess those lazy creatures they ll pollut your chiefdom..how can you build a house and fail to make toilet
A toilet may not be necessary if spending time heading cattle.
Animals!
HH has failed to build toilets for his voters and they believe he will deliver his promises. They say they’re hard workers but failed to build toilets.
Chief but what are they pigs going to eat.
It’s long overdue this chiefdom has been in existence since ng’ombe ilede. Great Chief.
But, bo jay…jay l will stop eating the pigs.
HH has failed to build toilets for his voters and they believe he will deliver his promises.
Which laws states that you can only help yourself in the toilet. What about children who are still in dipers what happens. The chief has now become a policeman of judge and jury. Some tribes!
Disaster!
Muzamanga bangati!
That’s what a chief should be doing. I would urge government to assist people build modern pit latrines.
In Luapula we stopped open defecation in 1920s. Once per year the chief go around the village to inspect if you have a toilet, pit for rubbish, wooden plantform to dry your cassava and dishes, all the grass and bushes are cut surrounding your house and make it visible from the main road, if the house is not built from burnt bricks one has to paint with colourful soil and a container of water near the entry of a toilet. If you one of these is not done, you have to give a chicken or goat to chief or else you have to work in the chiefs fields ( kumulima chipuba)
Wonderful…i think this is how every Chief mist be doing. African mentality sometimes is very worrying. How do you build a house without a toilet? Every Chief must start inspecting their chiefdoms, every village headman whose area is found practicing poor hygiene methodes must be arrested or chased from that village.