Governor Mike Sonko Abolishes Fees for County Toilets

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has abolished all fees for public toilets operated by the county government.

The toilets will henceforth be free to use by members of the public.

It previously cost Sh10 to access the lavatories spread across the city.

"City residents should not be charged to use public toilets. It is unfair to charge voters of Nairobi to use a public facility...From today, all toilets within the city will be free," he announced on Wednesday.

There are 68 public toilets in Nairobi with 17 located within the Central Business District (CBD).

[caption caption="Governor Mike Sonko on a past tour of the CBD"][/caption]

Sonko's office confirmed the directive to Kenyans.co.ke stating that it was part of his mission to place the people of Nairobi at the centre of all policy decisions.

They further asserted that the move would have no impact on the cleanliness of the facilities as some had suggested, noting that maintenance had always been done using public funds.

Nairobi County currently generates about Sh6.2 million a month in revenue from levies charged to use the toilets.

Jacob Elkana, the county's Deputy Director of Communications, told Kenyans.co.ke on Wednesday that the Governor had also issued an ultimatum to wrangling officials in various departments.

"The Governor issued a stern warning for those in wrangles to end the row so that Nairobians can benefit from service delivery," he stated.

[caption caption="A public toilet in Nairobi"][/caption]