From left : Nairobi City County Deputy Director of Public Health Mackline Saitera, County Public Health Officer Margaret Sunguti and Reckitt Country Manager for Kenya and East Africa, Mustapha Bugaje during Global Handwashing Day celebrations at Moi Avenue Primary School in Nairobi, where learners, parents and community members were sensitised on proper handwashing practices to prevent disease.
Dettol has partnered with Nairobi City County to promote proper handwashing among learners and raise awareness of the importance of good hygiene in preventing disease as part of activities to mark Global Handwashing Day.
The event, held at Moi Avenue Primary School in Nairobi’s Central Business District, brought together more than 1,200 learners, parents and residents under the theme “Be a Handwashing Hero”.
The event featured interactive hygiene education sessions and practical demonstrations on the importance of washing hands with soap and water. Dettol also donated soap and handwashing stations to the school to help learners put the lessons into practice both at school and at home.
“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,” said Mustapha Bugaje, Country Manager, Kenya and East Africa Expansion at Reckitt.
“Through our partnership with Nairobi County, we want to make handwashing more than a lesson for learners. 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.
Dettol’s Global Handwashing Day activities are part of its broader commitment to promoting healthier habits and making good hygiene part of everyday life for children, families and communities. Through school outreach programmes, digital campaigns and community initiatives, the brand continues to raise awareness of proper handwashing and everyday hygiene practices.
Through its New Mums Progrmme, Dettol also works with nurses and healthcare professionals to equip new mothers with essential hygiene knowledge, including proper handwashing practices to help protect mothers and their babies. In 2026 alone, the programme reached more than 41,000 mothers across Kenya.
The initiatives are aimed at making good hygiene accessible and practical, empowering families and communities to adopt healthier habits.
“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. We are pleased to partner with Dettol for this initiative, which combines hygiene education with access to soap and handwashing stations to help learners practise good hygiene at school and at home,” said Mackline Saitera, Deputy Director of Public Health at Nairobi City County.
A recent 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 soap 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.
Handwashing with soap and water helps reduce the spread of diarrhoeal and respiratory infections. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ Economic Survey 2026, health facilities recorded 1.3 million cases of diarrhoeal diseases and 15.4 million respiratory infection cases in 2025.
The findings highlight the importance of improving access to handwashing facilities and promoting consistent hygiene practices to help prevent infections and protect public health.
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