Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho on Sunday, April 26 announced a new partnership with Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu which saw the Mombasa Household Emergency Relief and Nutrition Support Project, set up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, receive a major boost.
Joho announced that Mombasa had received 10,000 superior quality masks from the Kitui County Textiles Center (KICOTEC) as well as Ksh100,000 to support Mombasa's emergency relief and nutrition project in supplying various households with food and other essential items during the pandemic.
"This contribution is a big boost to the people of Mombasa in our fight against the spread of Covid-19. May the Almighty bless you Mama Ngilu and the people of Kitui County abundantly," Joho wrote in appreciation.
Notably, Joho and Ngilu have received plaudits from a section of Kenyans in recent weeks for their comparatively impressive response to the pandemic.
In Kitui, for instance, KICOTEC has earned global recognition after it started manufacturing at least 30,000 high-quality face masks a day, reducing the country's reliance on imports from countries such as China.
Established in 2018 as one of Ngilu's flagship projects, KICOTEC employs about 600 people and was primarily focused on meeting orders for various garments before the pandemic.
The demand for masks, however, became apparent after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the country, leading the center to pivot towards the production of masks and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).
"KICOTEC continues to champion quality local manufacturing as a key pillar to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big 4 Agenda, job and wealth creation.
"My vision for it is to grow Kitui revenue and inject it into other development projects in healthcare, agriculture, water, infrastructure, etc," Ngilu stated on April 16, 2020.
Joho, on the other hand, has been praised for his pro-active response to the pandemic which has included making door-to-door deliveries of food and other essential items to households mapped out in a new digital system.
He has also earned plaudits for his collaborative approach which has involved teaming up with police, civil society, political rivals and local youth such as artists.
On April 23, for instance, he unveiled the Mombasa County Covid-19 treatment center at the Technical University of Mombasa complete with four dedicated ambulances and several hospital beds.
He explained that the center would handle mild to moderate Covid-19 cases, with only those in critical condition being referred to the Coast General Teaching and Refferal Hospital.
"There's a lot going on but, for instance, there's the nutrition program which seeks to feed 227,000 families.
"As a county, we have already developed an application through the ICT department that has allowed us to map out all these beneficiaries. We are making deliveries of the food packages door to door to ensure there is no chaos.
"We have also launched an online portal through a partnership with the private sector. It's an online funds drive where we've made all the payment platforms accessible so that anyone who wants to contribute can do so at any time.
"The money donated will go towards purchasing food for households and improving the medical preparedness," Mombasa County Acting Tourism Chief Officer Asha Abdi told Kenyans.co.ke on Thursday, April 23.
