Kenya: Nine counties to benefit from Ksh 300M EU grant

Nine counties in Kenya are set to benefit from a 2.5 million Euros (Ksh 302.5 million) donation by the European Union.

The grant will be managed by Amref Health Africa and will see the nine counties benefit from it in terms of boosting testing for COVID-19 capabilities, boost home-based and enrich local innovations like no-touch hand washing stations for a seven-month period.

The counties to benefit from the fund include; Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Uasin Gishu, Machakos, Kitui, Kajiado and Laikipia.

Amref Health Africa Country Director Meshack Ndirangu while launching the fund in Laikipia on Tuesday when he met Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi at his Nanyuki office, lauded the county response towards COVID-19 saying that the EU funds would go a long way in boosting further efforts to contain the pandemic.

“We will focus our support to the counties in the foundations they have already put in place to fight the pandemic by boosting their capabilities locally to flatten the curve and slow down infections,” Ndirangu said.

The Amref Country boss observed that there was a need to shield the vulnerable members of society such as the aged and the sickly and also to stem the rise in huge COVID-19 cases that would overwhelm the healthcare system.

“By slowing down the spread, we are giving the scientists more time to discover a vaccine or a cure and have it tested and approved. There are many therapies of this disease that are being worked on globally and our role is to be in solidarity by following all the prevention measures issued by health experts,” Ndirangu added.

Governor Muriithi welcomed the funding saying it would go a long way in fighting the spread of the pandemic in the area in terms of financing innovations such as making of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for health workers.

“We need to increase testing capacity since the national testing capacity is constrained for instance it is taking more time to get results, therefore there’s a need for rapid testing capabilities at the county level especially now that the economy has been opened and it is expected there will be a spike in the infections,” the Governor said.

Article first published on KBC, Kenya.