Kenya Gets First Automatic Walk-Through Thermal Image Scanner From Huawei

As the world continues to battle the deadly coronavirus that has been described as “spreading like a bushfire,” the government of Kenya through various ministries including the Ministry of Health is in the process of ensuring that chances of further infections are minimized as much as possible.

At the time of writing this piece, Kenya had announced a total of 59 confirmed cases of Coronavirus even as the Ministry of Health says that it has embarked on massive testing to establish the exact number of cases which experts have said might be higher than what is currently being reported.

They say in time of a calamity, we know our friends and that in time of plenty, our friends know us. During this time that Kenya is battling Covid19, global tech giant Huawei Kenya has come out to help and donated an automatic walk-through thermal image scanner to the Ministry of Transport, making it the first such scanner in the country.

The automatic walk-through scanner has been installed at the ministry headquarters at the Public Works Building and will be instrumental in helping Kenya fight the virus. “This donation from Huawei Kenya will go a long way in helping the government initiatives in the fight against the Coronavirus,” said Paul Maringa, Infrastructure Principal Secretary.

I note with appreciation and gratitude @Huawei Kenya’s donation of video conferencing equipment to 5 state departments. Indeed, a very valuable contribution to the fight against COVID-19. @TransportKE pic.twitter.com/fjpduddr8m

— CS James Macharia, EGH (@JamesMacharia_) March 30, 2020

Earlier, the Cabinet Secretary for Health Mr. Mutahi Kagwe and experts from the Ministry of Health held a video conference – the first of its kind in Kenya –  with their counterparts in China to learn from their experiences in managing the response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The video conference equipment was supported by Huawei and enabled Kenyan health officials to get firsthand experience from the Chinese Ministry of Health and other experts who have been handling the Coronavirus in Wuhan. The Chinese doctors were able to speak one to one not only with the Kenya doctors but also with those in about 20 other African countries.

“This is an extremely important step in terms of knowledge sharing and it gave us a tremendous amount of knowledge which we believe will also go a long way to assisting our people,” said Mr. Mutahi Kagwe.

“Huawei is fully committed to supporting Kenya’s response efforts. I am delighted that the equipment was so useful; it is a good example of how technology can help with communications, collaboration, and coordination which are a critical part of the response to the threat of COVD-19,” said Stone He, CEO of Huawei Kenya.

The delegation in Kenya included more than 10 officials and experts. The purpose was to share information on the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and discuss the best approaches for prevention and control.

Given the way the Chinese have been able to contain the virus in Wuhan, the sharing of knowledge thanks to technology is sure to benefit Kenya.