Kenya has won the Guinness World Record title for the most number of people washing hands simultaneously in multiple locations.
Kenya also holds the world record for most number of people washing hands at a single location which was set in 2010.
The record was set during an event implemented by the Ministries of Public Health and Education, Nairobi City Council Education Department, the Kenya Private Schools Association with support from Unilever Kenya through its Lifebuoy brand to mark the Global Handwashing day last year.
On October 12 last year, 53,873 pupils from 60 primary schools around Nairobi all washed their hands at exactly 10:30am in their respective schools in an attempt October 12, 2011 so to set the new world record.
"We are very happy on this achievement and will leverage on it to push the message on the need to wash hands on key occasions especially among children," noted Dr.Kepha Ombacho, the Chief Public Health Officer MOPHS on receiving the news.
The past record for the same category was held by the Department of Engineering of the Government of Bangladesh, Unilever Lifebuoy, UNICEF, NGO forum, Save the Children, Brac, Safe, Plan and Care that congregated 52,970 school pupils on October 15, 2010.
"The world record attempt was part of the Global Handwashing Day celebrations, observed on 15th October annually that aims to motivate and mobilize millions around the world to practice the simple habit of washing hands with soap as a key approach to disease prevention," noted Unilever Managing Director, Yaw Nsarhoh.
Unilever has continuously supported the Ministries of Public Health and Education in raising the handwashing agenda in the Kenya through various avenues.
Through active promotion of handwashing with soap, Kenya will in 2015 be looking back to see how it has scored on the realization of the Millennium Development Goal, Agenda 4: Reduce child health mortality by two thirds by 2015.
The Guinness World Record handwashing attempt is in line with Lifebuoy Global Social Mission which seeks change the behavior of at least five million people globally to adopt the habit of hand-washing with soap at critical times into an automatic behavior by 2015.
In 2010, Kenya broke the Guinness World Record for the most number of people washing hands at a single location by bringing together 19,352 children at Thirime Primary School in Kikuyu on October 15th 2010.
The Guinness World RecordTM has been part of Lifebuoy’s active promotion of the practice of hand washing with soap using the proper techniques in Kenya since it