Nairobi News

General

Govt to manufacture sanitisers and distribute them for free


The government on Wednesday said it will start manufacturing alcohol-based sanitisers to be distributed for free to Kenyans as a measure to control the coronavirus pandemic.

Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, in a statement, said corporations in the oil industry had volunteered to produce the sanitisers.

At the same time, Mr Kinyua directed members of the multi-agency team (Mat) to identify all ethanol held under any offences at the various ports and customs in the country.

He urged them to release it to Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) under the Mat, who will, in turn, liaise with the oil industry players for expedited manufacture and distribution.

“KPC will utilize an accountability framework for the manufacture and distribution of the sanitizers,” said Mr Kinyua.

The latest move comes amid public outcry that hand sanitisers prices had doubled after the country reported its first coronavirus case on Friday.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe urged Kenyans that they should to just buy soaps and constantly wash their hands with soap and water and maintain the hygiene standards as advised by the government.

“One way to bring down the cost of sanitisers is by buying soap and washing your hands. The demand of sanitisers will go down…We are asking the Ministry of Water to understand in cases where bills have not been paid…to open those taps, we will deal with bills later,” said Mr Kagwe.