ENHANCING Hygiene in Kenya Prisons Service
Water and Sanitation is among the key areas of focus for Rotary International since it’s a basic necessity for a healthy environment and a productive life. Through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, Rotary’s people of action mobilize resources, form partnerships, and invest in infrastructure and training that yield long-term change in the community
It’s against this background that the National Business Compact on COVID- 19 (NBCC) has partnered with Nestlé Kenya and the Rotary International District 9212 to enhance hygiene practices within the correctional facilities in Nairobi.
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Under this noble partnership, Kenya Prisons Service will be fetching about 20,000 liters of water per day, as and when needed, which will also be accompanied by soap and 18 handwashing stations donated by NBCC to facilitate and increase the uptake of handwashing in the prisons. The water will be sourced from Nestlé’s borehole at its factory in Industrial area and distributed to the prisons by The Rotary Club of Kenya through its water bowser on a need basis.
Handwashing and proper sanitation have been emphasized, as one of the key preventative measures to combat COVID -19. The very nature of prisons and the population they harbor lends it to a potentially high-risk area, especially on occasions or days when there is water outages or rationing.
The Nairobi prisons currently receive water from Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company but the demand occasionally outstrips the supply, hence it is imperative that the prison authority beef up the water supplies especially during the pandemic and further ensure that the handwashing stations have both clean water and soaps at all times.”
“… As the pandemic spreads, the response to COVID-19 in prisons and other places of detention becomes more challenging and requires a community approach to help keep the detainees safe and free of the virus. Nestlé cares deeply for people and for the communities in which we operate, and we have an essential role to play in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 amongst vulnerable communities…” Ngéntu Njeru, Nestlé East Africa Cluster, Managing Director.
With a prison population of over 6,171 inmates in Nairobi and its environs, the Kenyan government has enacted stringent directives in prisons such as restricting visitors to ensure the safety of the inmates. Other measures include health education to inmates on how COVID-19 is spread and training of Prison staff on COVID-19 prevention.
“… I want to assure you that we are at the forefront of assessing and preventing the possible spread of this pandemic in our penal facilities countrywide by enforcing strict measures to ensure that we effectively contain the spread of the virus and that we have…” Duncan Ogore, Senior Assistance Commissioner General of Prisons.
Myriam Sidibe, the NBCC chair & co-founder said, “The provision of water and soap is essential for the practice of hygiene, an essential prerequisite to human health during the Pandemic. During this global pandemic, one of the cheapest, easiest, and most important ways to prevent the spread of COVID – 19 is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water.”
“… Rotary International is in touch with the communities in Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and South Sudan. Nearly 3000 Rotarians in the four countries are making an impact during the COVID 19 pandemic and plans have begun for post-COVID-19 interventions. The kind of partnership we have today will go a long way in assisting especially the less privileged among our communities. Rotary’s WASH program will continue to lay infrastructure, educate, and promote handwashing in schools and institutions such as Prisons…” Patrick Obath, Rotary International District 9212’s District Governor
This partnership brings a total number of handwashing facilities deployed by NBCC to over 5,400 countrywide, reaching and impacting over 15 million Kenyans.
