Nairobi — Two Kenyan companies have entered the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the largest number of people washing their hands at a single venue.

Unilever Kenya through its brand Lifebuoy and Ecotact Kenya, which helped organise the event, received the Guinness World Record certification after they beat the record held by India's Lifebuoy.

The firms brought together 19,352 people to wash hands with soap at Thirime Primary School in Kikuyu constituency, a move that saw them surpass the 15,115 people Unilever India gathered in 2009.

"We called upon all school children, teachers, friends and families to pledge towards hand washing with soap," said Margaret Mwaura, brand building director at Unilever Kenya, which has used the hand washing campaign to push their products in the market place.

Campaign

Lifebuoy dominated Kenya's toilet soaps market for nearly three decades before it was overtaken by competitors such as Dettol.

Unilever has rolled out a Sh50 million budget to re-position its new-look Lifebuoy brand that is now targeting much younger consumers with active lifestyles, including women.

But its rivals including Reckitt Benckiser, and Procter & Gamble, have also revamped their product lines and embarked on marketing campaigns to expand their share of the soap market.