NMS to distribute free masks to schools
At least 30,500 needy pupils in Nairobi are set to benefit from free mask distribution by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).
This comes after the Major General Mohammed Badi-led office launched the distribution of 61,000 face masks to at least one school in each of the 17 sub-Counties in Nairobi County.
NMS Health Services Director Dr Josephine Kibaru-Mbae said that as part of the exercises every pupil will be given two face masks each.
She pointed out that the face masks were donated to NMS by Kings Collection as part of the ongoing Covid-19 sensitization exercise in schools by NMS’s health team.
The NMS director said they have tasked the sub-county team to identify one school from their area which will then benefit from the distribution with the target being extremely needy pupils.
Already, 2,500 pupils from Reuben Primary School in Mukuru Kwa Reuben, Embakasi South sub-County and another 2,000 pupils from St. Elizabeth Primary School in Makadara sub-County have received the face masks in day one of the exercise where 9,000 said masks were given out.
Another 700 pupils from Muthurwa Primary School and 2,000 from Our Lady of Nazareth Primary School in Mukuru Kwa Njenga also benefited from the distribution.
“Hopefully we will finish the exercise by the end of this week. This was a donation given to NMS by Kings Collection but we are also looking for other partners to help us with more masks for distribution,” said Dr Kibaru-Mbae.
The director said the exercise has come in handy bearing in mind that Nairobi County continues to bear the biggest brunt of Covid-19.
Currently, the capital city accounts for more than half of the total 97,733 confirmed cases countrywide as of January 7, 2021.
Mid-December, NMS launched a six-week health outreach programme across all the 17 sub-Counties working with Kenya Red Cross and Unicef by offering free medical services including vaccination, family planning, Covid-19 tests among other services with health officers mobilising locals to access the services brought nearer their homes.
As part of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the national government entity has also been supplying water to informal settlements in Nairobi procuring a fleet of 24 water bowsers to ensure the residents have reliable and consistent water supply.
“Further, a total of 193 boreholes have since been sunk and above ground storage tanks and water kiosks established, all managed by area residents. Water vending has also been digitised to ensure accountability and lock out water cartels. Extended piping and repair across the county is also underway to improve the water supply experience,” said Dr Kibaru-Mbae.