Access to Clean Drinking Water and Diarrhea Occurrence among Children Under Five Years Old in Informal Urban Settlements: A Case Study of Korogocho, in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

World Health Organisation (WHO) has quantified the occurrence of childhood Diarrhea as a consequence of poor access to clean drinking water. This is because the water in informal urban centers is highly contaminated due to poor sanitation. The paper' sought to establish the relationship between access to clean and safe drinking water and childhood Diarrhea occurrence in Korogocho slum in Nairobi County. The study variables included treatment and sources of drinking water. Self-reporting and two-week recall was the data collection strategy adopted for Diarrhea outcome and its determinants. The selection of households for 90 respondents (mothers of the target population) used systematic random sampling. Data was collected using well designed open-ended questionnaires, and analysis used descriptive and chi-square statistics. Findings showed that the majority (73.3%) of respondents in Korogocho reported that their primary source of drinking water was from standpipes. Other water sources were water kiosks (23.3%) and small water vendors (3.3%). Concerning the treatment of drinking water to make it safe for drinking, the study found that not all households treated their water (41.1%). This is because they believed that water from standpipes, vendors, and tanks was chlorinated and, therefore, safe for consumption. Based on two weeks recall, 36.4% of mothers reported that their children within the age limit had contracted Diarrhea. Based on the results, the study identified several recommendations and suggested areas for further research. The key recommendations are to institutionalize deliberate interventions to provide slum dwellers with clean and quality drinking water and proper sanitation facilities to ensure the safe and effective disposal of fecal waste.