Sanitisers for Frontline Health Workers in Nairobi, Kisumu Dispatched

Frontline health workers and those at high risk of
contracting the covid-19 coronavirus in Nairobi and Kisumu will receive hand
sanitisers to protect them from the disease.

Some 135,000 litres of packed sanitisers will be
distributed in a partnership between Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), Amref
Health Africa (Amref) and Kenya Red Cross for the emergency.

The initiative follows the appeal by the Kenyan
government for individual well-wishers and corporate organisations to play
their part in the fight against the disease. KBL is spending over Shs 50
million in the programme.

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KBL engaged certified sanitizer producers to produce
1,000,000 pieces of 100ml sanitisers, 500 pieces of five-litre bottle
sanitisers and 2,500 pieces of 500ml sanitisers, which will be shared between
Amref Health Africa and KRCS for distribution in Nairobi specifically to the
informal settlements of Kibera, Mukuru, Mathare and Kawangware and, Kondele and
Obunga in Kisumu.

KBL Managing Director Jane Karuku said: “KBL is fully
aware of the evolving covid-19 situation and the potential impact especially to
frontline health workers and vulnerable communities across Kenya.  We have explored the interventions needed and
made the decision to forge ahead with sanitizers, identified by the Ministry of
Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a critical deterrent against
the spread of the coronavirus.

While hand-washing has been prescribed as a basic
precautionary step against the coronavirus spread, millions of people in
informal settlements are at heightened risk of contracting the coronavirus due
to the lack of proper sanitation and running water. We aim to provide these
sanitisers free of charge and ensure they get to the most vulnerable members of
our communities.”

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Amref Health Africa and KRCS will be responsible for the
prompt supervision, monitoring and coordination of the distribution process.

Dr Githinji Gitahi, Amref Health Africa CEO, said: “An adequate response to the covid-19 pandemic must be a whole of society approach. To win the war and flatten the curve, we must observe public health measures as advised including physical distancing and handwashing with running water and soap. But we are also aware that in some instances, hand-washing with soap and water may not be practically possible and as such, the need for alcohol-based sanitizers arise and this may be the case in many of our informal settlements as well as workplaces and public transport. This donation, therefore, comes at a crucial time in our response and I want to thank KBL and Diageo. These are extraordinary times – and no one can do it alone.”

Dr Asha Mohammed, Secretary-General, Kenya Red Cross Society said: “We are all aware of the challenges faced by people in informal settlements with regard to access to sanitation facilities and this makes them highly vulnerable to contract covid-19. This donation is therefore timely.”

The contribution is one of the interventions by KBL
following a nationwide awareness campaign that has distributed over 10,000
posters in retail outlets, sensitising the public on how to combat the virus.

In the last week, KBL has also been helping the
government distribute another batch of sanitisers across counties, using its
robust distributor model.

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