By Richard Onapatum
The Administration of Katakwi Government Technical School in Getom sub-county, Katakwi District has appealed to parents to cooperate and contribute each shs.10,000 (Ten thousand) per term for the academic year 2024 for construction of Eco-San Pit Latrine.
“The school’s pit latrines are full, have an awful stench that can be smelt from metres away and they are perpetually maggot-infested,” said head teacher.
This was disclosed on Monday 06 Nov 2023 by the school’s headteacher, Joseph Aisu Edotun, during an exclusive interview with our reporter.
Edotun says that his administration is currently in negotiations with parents to contribute for the construction of ECO-SAN pit latrines, which are drainable.
This move is in a bid to address the looming shortage of latrines that has hit the technical school.
“Parents, this is our school, I urge you to comply and pay the 10k per term as we had earlier on agreed: no one will help develop our school apart from us,” he said.
The school headteacher hopes to collect about shs.10,900,000, intended for construction of the ECO-SAN pit latrines.
The construction of an Eco-san pit-latrine is not only a practical solution but also an eco-friendly one.
It ensures that the facility remains operational even when it becomes full, eliminating the need for frequent construction of new latrines.
Katakwi Technical School in Getom sub-county, Katakwi is grappling with lack of pit latrines, forcing the students to share one pit.
Currently, the whole school is in a crisis, as the four-stance pit latrine facility for both the boys and girls that was initially in use got filled up.
The headteacher confirms that the situation is alarming, “the students have to queue to share the only available latrine in place.”
Although there is ongoing construction of girls’ dormitory with latrines, the boys’ wing 4stance latrine can not hold the school current overwhelming population.
“In a meeting I told the Board of Governors (BOG) that we can not run away from the problem, the boys’ latrines are full,” he said.
Some of the affected students, while speaking to our reporter, called for immediate intervention from the government saying the latrines they are currently using are full.
Odongo Juventine, a first year student, says they use one pit and they have to remove their shirts when visiting the latrines.
“Our latrines when it reaches evening we have to make a line, the smell also sticks on clothes,” Odongo said
According to 20-year-old Irene Ariokot, who has been at the school for two years, she avoids going to the toilet unless it is absolutely necessary.
“Often times, some class members could tell and make fun of whoever visited the toilet just by the rancid stench on their clothes,” said Ariokot.
Olupot James says that they visit the toilets mostly in the evening so one can after take a bath to remove the odor smell that sticks on the clothing.
“Atleast let government add us latrines. They are full to capacity, even the feaces can splash on you when you visit the pits,” said Odongo
The students remove their school sweaters and sometimes even shirts and hang them on a tree branch right before entering the pit latrine.
Upon leaving the latrine, most students loiter outside for up to thirty minutes before returning to class.