Armed with a blue cloth mask, a megaphone and a tired donkey, former prison warden Bwana Shee spoke louder than CS Mutahi Kagwe, warning residents of Lamu Island to protect themselves from Covid-19.
The 63-year-old town crier became the go-to person for the Lamu government whenever it needed to update residents about the disease in 2020 and 2021.
For his straining of facial muscles and his pharynx, Shee has been recognised in a new collection of the innovations and best practices that counties employed to fight Covid-19.
“Since the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Kenya in March 2020, county governments have been at the frontline in the prevention, management and response of the pandemic,” Council of Governors chairman Martin Wambora said on Monday.
Wambora spoke when he launched the “Compendium of County Innovations and Best Practices on Covid-19 Response in Nairobi.
The compendium also highlights Kitui county, which distributes free masks in schools, made at the Kitui County Textile Centre.
When schools reopened in January 2021, the county distributed 200,000 masks in all primary schools and 27,000 in secondary schools.
Other counties recognised include Nyeri, which made beds locally to achieve the nationwide target of 300,000.
“Our health systems have been tested like never before but county governments have remained resilient in the wake of Covid-19,” Wambora said.
He said the collection is a reference point for counties and their institutions to borrow from during any health emergency.
He added: “We have collectively increased isolation beds; installed additional functional PSA Oxygen plants; and procured more oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators. We have also connected more than 3,000 beds to oxygen.”
The compendium was prepared by CoG’s Maarifa Centre, which compiles best practices from the counties and is funded by the World Bank and UNDP.
It is a compilation of innovative approaches taken by 13 county governments in the efforts to prevent, manage and respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wambora said as devolution progresses, it is important to document the steps and the milestones made.
Head of health department at CoG Governor Anyang’ Ny’ong’o (Kisumu) said the compendium will be useful to both levels of government, partners, private sector, civil society organisations, researchers and students.
“Since government regimes change with every election, it is undeniable that knowledge should be well retained and seamlessly transferred to those who take over in order to maintain stability and continuity in the event of a transition,” he said.
His speech was read by Kisumu Deputy Governor Mathews Owili.
He said: “And in recognition that we are in a digital world, the public sector must invest in knowledge management so that the success stories of service delivery can be replicated in future.”
