Free surgical face masks will be distributed free of charge to all residents of Kitui county, Governor Charity Ngilu has said.
Ngilu said the masks were readily available since they are being produced locally by the county government.
“The masks are produced at Kitui County Textile Centre and will be distributed for free to our people in all parts of the county in our bid to reduce and slow down the spread of Covid-19,” Ngilu is a post on social media.
Kicotec has been producing 30,000 face masks daily and has already dispatched 20,000 pieces to Makueni county and 42,000 to Kakamega.
On Friday, she visited Kitui South subcounty and doled out free masks to traders, boda boda operators, mama mbogas and the residents at Mutomo, Kyatune, Ikanga, Makele, Kwa Kethi, Ituki, Kisasi, Mwaani, Maluma markets.
Should Ngilu make good her ledge, it will be a big relief to most of the poor people in Kitui who cannot afford the masks.
They are retailing at Sh30 and Sh50.
Since late last week, police have been carrying random crackdowns on persons found without the face masks. On Wednesday, 23 people were charged at the Kyuso law courts and each fined Sh1, 000 for failing to wear a face mask.
During her visit to Kitui South, Ngilu said she also handed over modern, and fully equipped ambulances to Mutomo Level 4 Hospital and Mutomo Mission Hospital to enhance service delivery.
“We allocated the two ambulances to serve the area and its environs. This will improve response to emergencies to save lives."
"We will continue improving service delivery to our people si as to ease the burden of accessing quality healthcare to all residents,” Ngilu said.
Edited by E.Kibii
