Dettol, Nairobi County Promote Handwashing Among More Than 1,200 Learners
By Peace Muthoka
NAIROBI, Kenya — Dettol has partnered with Nairobi City County to promote proper handwashing among learners, providing hygiene education, soap and handwashing stations at Moi Avenue Primary School as part of activities to mark Global Handwashing Day.
The event, held at the school in Nairobi’s Central Business District in October, brought together more than 1,200 learners, parents and residents under the theme “Be a Handwashing Hero”.
Learners took part in interactive hygiene education sessions and practical demonstrations on the importance of washing hands with soap and water to help prevent disease. Dettol also provided soap and handwashing stations to enable pupils to practise the lessons at school and at home.
Mustapha Bugaje, Country Manager for Kenya and East Africa Expansion at Reckitt, said consistent handwashing habits could help protect children and their families from preventable illnesses.
“At Reckitt, our mission is to provide better health in more hands, every day. Good hand hygiene begins with simple habits that, when practised consistently, can help protect children and their families from preventable illnesses,” Bugaje said.
He said the partnership with Nairobi City County was intended to ensure that handwashing went beyond classroom lessons by giving learners access to the supplies and facilities needed to practise good hygiene.
“Providing soap and handwashing stations alongside hygiene education helps create an environment where children can put what they learn into practice and carry these habits into their homes and communities,” he added.
Nairobi City County Deputy Director of Public Health Mackline Saitera said the initiative provided an opportunity to educate learners on the role of handwashing in preventing disease and protecting their health.
“Global Handwashing Day provides an important opportunity to raise awareness among learners about the role of proper handwashing in preventing disease and protecting their health,” Saitera said.
She welcomed the partnership, saying the combination of hygiene education and access to soap and handwashing stations would help learners practise proper handwashing both at school and at home.
The initiative comes amid concerns about access to handwashing facilities and the consistent use of soap in some low-income communities.
A study conducted by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), with support from Reckitt, in selected low-income areas of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru found that only 40 per cent of respondents said they always used soap when washing their hands, while 59 per cent said they used it sometimes.
The study also found that 28 per cent of respondents had limited access to handwashing facilities, while five per cent had neither a handwashing facility nor soap.
These findings highlight the need to combine public awareness campaigns with practical access to hygiene facilities and supplies, particularly in schools and communities where consistent handwashing may be difficult.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ Economic Survey 2026, health facilities recorded 1.3 million cases of diarrhoeal infections and 15.4 million cases of respiratory infections in 2025. The statement cited the figures to underscore the importance of handwashing with soap and water in efforts to reduce the spread of infections.
Beyond the Global Handwashing Day event, Dettol said it continues to promote hygiene through school outreach programmes, digital campaigns and community initiatives aimed at encouraging healthier habits among children and families.
Through its New Mums Programme, the brand also works with nurses and other healthcare professionals to equip new mothers with essential hygiene knowledge, including proper handwashing practices to help protect mothers and their babies.
The programme reached more than 41,000 mothers across Kenya in 2026, according to Reckitt.
The company said its hygiene initiatives aim to make proper handwashing and other everyday hygiene practices more accessible, practical and sustainable for families and communities.
