Mombasa public beach toilets shut

TRADERS and visitors at Mombasa's Jomo Kenyatta public beach have been relieving themselves in bushes after the public toilet was closed on Monday.

County inspectorate officers did not explain why they closed it, traders said.

Speaking to the Star at the beach yesterday, the traders expressed disappointment in the county government.

“How can someone close down the only public toilet in such a busy and crowded place?” Aisha Ndindi, a food vendor, said.

She said college students from Nairobi were "stranded" yesterday as they had nowhere to relieve themselves.

“A foreign tourist also came to help himself, but had to go away after seeing the huge padlock on the toilet block,” Ndindi said.

Salim Mambo, a madafu vendor, said the county government is not concerned about the the health of the traders and holiday makers.

“Where do they expect us to answer the call of nature?" he said.

Mombasa Environment executive Fatma Awale said the problem was temporary and would be solved by yesterday afternoon.

“The county government has embarked on repossessing all public toilets that are operated by private individuals,” she told the Star on the phone.

She asked the public to be patient.

Awale said the toilets will be rehabilitated and maintained by the county government.

However, the traders said the toilet block does not belong to the county government because it was built by the Rotary Club.