Community health agents within Kirinyaga County are calling attention to the rising issue of non-chlorinated diapers, which once represented a cutting-edge means of conducting infant care, only to become a possible source of a serious public health issue.
In an address aired live on television on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, health officers and locals explained that diapers are being disposed of casually in farms and open spaces along roads and claimed that it is not only happening in Kirinyaga but in most parts of the country.
“Since there is no proper way of disposing [dirty diapers],” explained health officials from the Kirinyaga Health Department, “dirty diapers end up accumulating in the area, attracting flies and rats that have been proven to be carriers of diseases.”
“Used diapers are carelessly disposed of in farms, along the roadside, and in open areas without permits, thereby posing serious health threats to the community members,” claimed a health promoter.
Even as the use of diapers is known to have improved sanitation and facilitated the handling of children, the organizers have warned of the negative impact of improper use and disposal. Residents have actually suggested the banning of diapers if the issue of disposal is not put into practice as the banning of plastic bags had been done by the government.
“If it cannot be regulated, a ban should be for the benefit of our environment and health,” said a resident in the course of the debate.
The health authorities clarified that soiled diapers fall under hazardous and non-organic waste that should always be packed in red color-coded bags prior to disposal via designated waste management channels. Nonetheless, they asserted that these channels are mostly nonexistent or inadequately implemented at the local communal level.
The groups asked for interventions from both county and national governments to install dedicated diaper bins for disposing of diapers and to educate domestic units on domestic waste management.
According to the residents, the effects of the problem are already being felt in the health of the community, where it is feared that flies and rodents feeding on the exposed nappy waste could lead to an increase in cases of diarrhoea, typhoid, and amoebiasis.
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has in the past indicated that poor disposal of sanitary waste such as diapers amounts to violation of the national guidelines on disposal of waste.
Anyone found disposing of their waste in accordance with the The Sustainable Waste Management Act, 2022, risks sanctions.
While the debate rages on, health advocates emphasize that there is an acute need to avert a potential sanitation crisis that could have dire consequences for public health as well as environmental sustainability