The Vihiga county government has commissioned a project to produce cheap fertiliser from human waste in order to protect farmers from high artificial fertilizer prices and boost agriculture.
The bio-digester, a Sh17 million decentralized wastewater treatment facility, will also provide a cleaner environment.
The plant, which will be located on the outskirts of Mbale town, the county’s headquarters, will process up to six exhausters per day of human waste.
According to James Odiero, the county director of water and sanitation, waste-turned-fertilizer will be sold to farmers for between Sh300 and Sh500 per bag in a plan that promises big returns.
The Sh17 million came from the Water Trust Fund, with Sh4 million going toward the construction of toilets for nearby households in order to make the raw material available.
“Through this project, we will clean human waste from toilets and then process the sludge into fertiliser that will be sold to farmers for between Sh300 and Sh500 per bag,” Mr. Odiero said.
“This will give back returns that were spent on the construction of the project. Every day, we will clean 50 cubic metres that is equivalent to 50,000 litres of waste supplied by six exhausters,” he added.
The project’s construction began in 2020 and took two years to complete.
Governor Wilber Ottichilo stated that the plant will boost agriculture.
“This project will help clean our environment as it will take waste of all manner and keep it. It will also end the culture of constructing toilets every time,” Dr Ottichilo said.
