Study Raises Concern Over Soap Use as Dettol Steps Up Hygiene Education in Nairobi

A study in selected low-income areas of four Kenyan cities has raised concerns about handwashing practices, with only 40 per cent of respondents saying they always use soap when washing their hands.

The research, conducted by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) with support from Reckitt, covered selected low-income areas in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.

The findings showed that 59 per cent of respondents used soap only sometimes, while 28 per cent had limited access to handwashing facilities. Five per cent had neither a handwashing facility nor soap.

The findings come as Dettol, a hygiene and disinfection brand owned by Reckitt, intensifies efforts to promote proper handwashing among learners and communities in partnership with Nairobi City County.

As part of the initiative to mark Global Handwashing Day, the company held a hygiene awareness event at Moi Avenue Primary School in Nairobi’s Central Business District, reaching more than 1,200 learners, parents and residents.

The event, held under the theme “Be a Handwashing Hero,” featured demonstrations and interactive sessions on the importance of washing hands with soap and water.

Dettol also provided soap and handwashing stations to the school to help learners put the lessons into practice.

Mustapha Bugaje, Country Manager for Kenya and East Africa Expansion at Reckitt, said access to hygiene supplies was important in helping families adopt healthier habits.

“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,” Bugaje said.

Mackline Saitera, Nairobi City County’s Deputy Director of Public Health, said the partnership would help raise awareness among learners while improving their ability to practise good hygiene.

Handwashing with soap and water helps reduce the spread of diarrhoeal and respiratory infections. The KNBS Economic Survey 2026 reported that health facilities recorded 1.3 million diarrhoeal infection cases and 15.4 million respiratory infection cases in 2025.

Dettol said its hygiene campaign forms part of wider efforts to promote preventive health practices among children, families and communities.

The company also runs the New Mums Programme, which works with nurses and healthcare professionals to educate mothers on hygiene, including handwashing. The initiative reached more than 41,000 mothers across Kenya in 2026.

The programmes seek to make hygiene knowledge more accessible while encouraging practices that can help protect families from preventable illnesses.