Science Journal of Public Health 2014; 2(6): 554-559 Published online November 10, 2014 (http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/sjph) doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20140206.19 ISSN: 2328-7942 (Print); ISSN: 2328-7950 (Online) Assessment of hygienic and food handling practices among street food vendors in Nakuru Town in Kenya Faith Muhonja 1 , George Kobia Kimathi 2 1 MCHD, BSC Community Health and Development, Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Nakuru Town, Rift Valley Province, Kenya 2 MEH, BS Environmental Health, Egerton University, Nakuru Town, Rift Valley Province, Kenya Email address: muhonjaf@gmail.com (F. Muhonja), kimathikobia@gmail.com (G. K. Kimathi) To cite this article: Faith Muhonja, George Kobia Kimathi. Assessment of Hygienic and Food Handling Practices among Street Food Vendors in Nakuru Town in Kenya. Science Journal of Public Health. Vol. 2, No. 6, 2014, pp. 554-559. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20140206.19 Abstract: Withstanding the test of time, the precarious working condition; and the ministry of public health and sanitation not acknowledging their existence, street food vendors continue to feed more than 50% of the urban population. Whether illegally into the market system or not, the reality is that the unsuspecting public continue to put itself at risk by consuming foods that are not monitored. It is from this background that the study sought to assess the hygienic and food handling practices of the street food vendors in Nakuru town. The aim of this paper is to empower the general public especially those who consume street foods. The study population was all street food vendors. The target population was all street food vendors who cook and sell cooked foods on the street, while the accessible population was all street food vendors who meet the inclusion criteria within Nakuru central business district. A cross-sectional study design was used. A sample size of 384 was arrived at by use of Fischer’s et al, 2008, formula. The study employed cluster sampling design (Mugenda et al, 2003). The central business district was then clustered into four quadrants and proportionate sampling was done. A sampling frame of street food vendors was developed from each cluster and randomly sampled to identify the required number of respondents, (Mugenda et al., 2003 and Ahuja et al., 2006). Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. Pre-tested and standardized structured questionnaires and observation checklist were used. Data was analyzed using Microsoft-excel and SPSS version 17 and presented descriptively. The findings showed that 83% had a cleaned their workplace, 54% of the vendors handled money and food indiscriminate, 44% had dust bins and 73% of respondents did not have their hair covered. The study recommends the concerned stakeholders to promote sanitation among the vendors. Keywords: Street Food Vendors, Food Hygiene, Food Handler’s Hygiene, Street Food Contamination 1. Introduction More than 40% of Nairobi residents consume street foods, while in Nakuru town, its 50%, (Mwangi et al., 2002). Consequently, there has been a marked increase in morbidity of consumers of street foods and street food vendors are thought to be the source if not the cause of increase in food borne disease outbreaks, (Falkenstein, 2010). Majority of food borne disease outbreaks result from inappropriate food handling practices (Jones et al, 2006). Food handlers play an important role in food safety and in the occurrence of food poisoning because they may introduce pathogens into food during preparation (Green et al., 2005 and Lillquist et al., 2005). Food handlers are carriers of enteric pathogens, (Oteri et al., 1989; Taylor et al., 2002 and Shojaei et al., 2005). Food poisoning affects hundreds of thousands of people each year and cause deaths, (Minas, 1998; Lindquist et al., 2000; Atanassova et al., 2001; Borch et al., 2002; Haziriwala, 2002; Lynch et al., 2006 and Debess et al., 2008). The unsanitary operating conditions questions the quality and safety of foods they serve is highly contaminated, (Obuobie et al., 2006). Due to poor environmental temperature it makes it a health risk to the consumers, (Granahan, et al., 2001). For many foods especially those that are sold ready-to- eat, the cleanliness of food contact surfaces have been identified as critical to food safety (Moore et al., 2002). Food poisoning outbreaks mostly occur when cooked foods are handled by persons who carry the pathogen in their nares or on their skin, (Protocarrero et al., 2002). This finding indicates the potential of an explosive food poisoning situation. Studies have indicated that high prevalence of diarrhoeal morbidity is caused by not washing of hands after defecation, not washing hands before cooking