The Kenyan Government has received a donation of 7,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from Egypt to aid its fight against coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
The shipment worth approximately $150,000 was in fulfilment of the pledge made by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to contribute $4 million worth of support through the African Union Response Fund to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The PPE including protective gowns, sterile gloves, face shields, protective goggles, rubber boots and sharps container boxes. They were received by the Health Chief Administrative Secretary, Dr. Rashid Aman and CAS of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ababu Namwamba.
During the handover, Minister Plenipotentiary Nelly Eloraby Chargé d’Affaires of the Egyptian Embassy in Nairobi said the support was provided “in recognition of Africa’s common destiny, particularly as we face, COVID-19, a common challenge which threatens all of us and necessitates a strong collective response to overcome.”
Meanwhile, close to 1,000 frontline workers in Kenya have been infected with Covid-19, the health ministry said.
The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Covid-19, Health Chief Administrative Secretary, Dr Mercy Mwangangi, said 16 health workers have died so far.
Mwangangi said the ministry have distributed only 24, 283 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to serve all frontline health workers in the country.
As of Wednesday, Kenya reported eight coronavirus-related deaths registered within 24 hours, raising the country’s death toll to 607.