Despite being frowned upon, the practice of open defecation in Acholi sub region was meant to maintain soil fertility, according to Acholi cultural enthusiasts.
Ronald Okello Onen, a tour guide at Fort Patiko in Anyadwe village, Patiko Sub County in Gulu district says that people would go to the garden, dig a hole in the ground and defecate in it before covering it.
Onen says that this ensured that soil fertility was maintained.
He says the campaign against open defecation has led to soils getting exhausted and in turn produce poor crop yields.
Medical experts however attribute open defecation to the easy spread of diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and diarrhea.
By Justine Muboka
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