Covid-19: It is business as usual in Kibra

Even as the Ministry of Health continues to put in place measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, life goes on normally in many Nairobi informal settlements.

In Kibra, small scale traders operate just as they did before the first case of the deadly virus that has so far infected 246 people and killed 11 others in the country, was confirmed in Kenya.

In the informal settlement, boda-boda riders do not wear face masks, neither do small scale traders especially roadside food vendors.

Walking from Lindi Mosque to DC Grounds which are about a kilometer apart, only five people were seen wearing face masks.

Mr Samuel Ndichu, a boda-boda rider in Kibra says from his meagre daily income, he would rather buy food and other basic items than buy a face mask.  

In densely populated Nairobi slums like Kibra, Mr Ndichu says exercising social distancing is not easy.

“Everyone depends on each other for one thing or the other. Most people are not self-sufficient here and we keep on borrowing from each other. It is the way of life in the slums,” he adds.

Some slum residents say they only buy masks only if they are sold at subsidised rates. Most of the face masks being sold in the slums are of poor quality and cannot offer enough protection from coronavirus.

The masks are sold between Sh50 and Sh100. The prices of hand sanitisers shot up when the demand for the precious commodity increased after the first case of coronavirus was found in the country.

The slum dwellers prefer using soap and water to wash their hands to using sanitisers.

Some community leaders and health volunteers have put water-points at strategic points where residents wash their hands.

They provide the residents with clean water and soap and urge them to observe hygiene.

Water is crucial in fighting the spread of Covid-19 but most parts of Kibra lack constant clean water supply.