Influence of social cultural factors on adoption of sanitation systems in rural communities : case of Tharaka-North Sub County ,Tharaka- Nithi County, Kenya

The Sustainable Development Goal agenda 6.2 targets to achieve universal basic sanitation and hygiene by 2030 (United Nations, 2018). This paper assessed the influence of social cultural factors on adoption of sanitation systems in rural communities. The article was based on field research that employed convergent research design where both qualitative and quantitative data was gathered simultaneously. Quantitative data was gathered using mixed questionnaires from 388 household heads selected using stratified proportionate simple random sampling techniques.The study objectives were to assess theinfluence of religion, traditions and gender on adoption of sanitation systems in rural communities and to assess the influence of toilets on adoption of sanitation systems in rural communities Qualitative data was collected using an interview guide from a purposively selected focus group consisting of 13 participants. The findings were organized into themes and presented in narratives. Quantitative datawas analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 which generated descriptive and inferential statistics to unveil the relationship between variables. The findings, established that the adoption of unimproved toilets was the main form of sanitation system, covering a mean of 2. 9807.A unit increase in traditions led to a 0.029 decrease in adoption of sanitation systems (p.value=0.009) in the rural communities. A unit increase in gender roles led to a 0.142 increase in adoption of sanitation practices (p.value=0.001). Residents believed that faeces left in the open could be used for witchcraft purposes, a tradition that had a positive impact in eradication open defecation. Some religious denominations like the Kavonikia and Agendi associated diarrhea with demons other than the poor sanitation which was seen to facilitate poor sanitation practices and systems. The study recommended that the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) strategy should target both open defecation and enlighten residents on the dangers of adopting unimproved latrines. The study also recommended that inclusion of women in household sanitation matters to ensure adoption of women and children friendly household sanitation facilities and incorporation of religious leaders as advocates of sanitation systems alongside demographic, psychosocial and environmental factors.