Unemployed Medic Hawking Face Masks Stirs Hearts [VIDEO]

A medical practitioner dressed in protective gear at Coronavirus isolation and treatment facility in Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
A medical practitioner dressed in protective gear at Coronavirus isolation and treatment facility in Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Simon Kiragu
KENYANS.CO.KE

Mercy Jelagat, a trained nurse, moved Kenyans on social media after she was spotted along Moi Road in Githunguri, Kiambu County hawking face masks.

In a feature by NTV on Saturday, April 4, the nursing graduate explained what had led her to join other aspiring entrepreneurs in the sale of the essential protective gear.

"There are a number of reasons that made me decide to sell these masks. If I had gotten the job I had studied for I wouldn't have sold masks," narrates Jelagat.

Watch the video of Mercy below:

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The graduate stated that she had considered leaving for the village after failing to secure a job but was dissuaded by her relatives. 

"I was to go home but my grandfather asked me not to," she stated.

But she is not the regular mask hawker. The medic takes the time to explain to her customers the utility of the masks and the effect that Covid-19 virus could have on their bodies.

"When I sell these masks to clients I explain to them what corona[virus] is, the side effects and the preventive measures before I sell them the masks," states Mercy.

The young graduate expressed her hope that she would be selected in the ongoing hiring process of about 6,000 health workers to fight Covid-19. 

"I will not be afraid. If we all run off, who will stay with them? We must be here and I know from what the government has given us that, we are covered," she states.

As per a circular by the Public Service Commission, the government was looking to offer thousands of jobs under the Ministry of Health to address the demand for health workers occasioned by the virus.

Interested personnel were encouraged to apply before April 16, 2020, and would be employed on the basis of a 3-year contract.

Hundreds of youth queue during an open employment drive by a city hotel on Saturday, May 26, 2018
Hundreds of youth queue during an open employment drive by a city hotel on Saturday, May 26, 2018
Capital Group

The positions called for diploma and certificate holders in the advertised health positions who would receive a remuneration package of Ksh50,000 and Ksh 40,000 respectively.

Census 2019 data shows that the youth ranked as the most affected by unemployment with 39% locked out of the job market. 

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