Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the Ministry received 300,000,000 shillings to buy re-usable face masks and KEMSA is expected to conclude the procurement process by November 30 and the distribution by December 31st.
The 300,000,000 shillings was handed over to KEMSA, to look out for local suppliers of re-usable face masks in co-operation with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
The government had earlier on put to a standstill the process of supplying free masks to the poor Kenyans after earlier samples submitted by manufacturers failed to meet technical and quality tests. However, the process is set to resume by December 31st
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe told the National Assembly Committee on Health that the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has requested bidders to resubmit samples for technical evaluation.
“The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is in the process of reviewing the standards and specifications for reusable face masks. KEBS has indicated that the new standards and specifications are expected to get council approval by mid-November,” Mutahi Kagwe said.
The move by the government to restart the distribution of free facemasks to the poor comes as a solution to combat the increasing cases of the COVID-19 virus in the country since the raising curve is worrying.
The Ministry of Health said that with the surging numbers of Covid-19 cases, free face masks would make a big difference in curbing the spread of the disease, especially in rural areas.
On November 12th, 919 people tested positive for Covid-19 from a sample size of 6,135 tested in 24 hours, bringing to 66,723 the number of confirmed positive cases in Kenya.
From the cases, 887 are Kenyans and 32 are foreigners. In terms of gender 559 are males and 360 females. The youngest is a seven-month-old infant, while the oldest is 87.
Meanwhile, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows that the number of global COVID-19 cases surpassed 50 million as global deaths surpassed the 1 Million mark.
Current reports also indicate that Africa might need 1,200,000,000,000 shillings to access the coming COVID-19 vaccine. The African Union has a commitment of 500,000,000,000 shillings promised by the World Bank and other donors.