“I want to thank His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta for this award. I did not expect it. It is an indication that he has seen what we have done in the communities during this pandemic period," Odede said upon receiving the HSC.
Odede was recognised for his incredible work in Kenyan urban slums during the Covid-19 period.
This is the second time the Head of State is recognising the Shofco boss this year, having mentioned him during his Mashujaa Day celebration speech on October 20 in Kisii County.
Odede has served as a member of the National Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund board which was tasked with mobilising resources for an emergency response towards containing the spread, effects and impact of the pandemic
At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Odede came through for all 14 urban slums Shofco has a presence in Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa in a way even the government could not manage.
“The coronavirus messaging was so westernised; it did not work for people who live in informal settlements. We needed a radically different approach. Information had to come from people they trust, either religious leaders or local people on the ground. That is how we managed to contain the virus,” Odede said in April.
It did not end there. SHOFCO installed 301 handwashing stations at entry points in each of the 14 slums they work in, brought in tens of millions of litres of free water, and with the help of other partners, sourced over 400,000 bars of soaps for distribution.
The organisation also reached close to 2 million households in slums with their free masks and sanitisers.
SHOFCO is now a grassroots movement that catalyses large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, education and leadership development for women and girls.
