State to distribute sanitizers to public

The Government of Kenya on Wednesday announced that it will start manufacturing alcohol-based sanitisers that will be distributed for free to Kenyans as a way to control spread of coronavirus.

The head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua in a statement, said some corporations in the oil industry had volunteered to produce the sanitisers.

Kinyua also directed members of the multi-agency team (MAT) to find all ethanol held under any offenses at the various ports and customs in the country, ordering for their release to the Kenya Pipeline Company, who will then liaise with the oil industry players for advanced manufacturing and distribution.

“KPC will utilize an accountability framework for the manufacture and distribution of the sanitisers,” he said.

During an exclusive interview with KTN News, The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) head of inspection Ahmed Antar Amin warned Kenyans from having a rush in buying sanitisers as most of them do not meet the requirements to kill germs.

He, therefore, urged Kenyans to be careful when purchasing them.

“Sanitisers must have the capacity to kill 99.9 per cent pathogenic microbes. Therefore, look for sanitisers that have been certified and manufactured by reputable organizations. And therefore they are readily available in the market,” said Amin.

He added that "Kenyans should be aware of people who may want to take advantage of the current situation. Some of the sanitisers may smell medical but actually, it is just water and some other unknown chemicals. However, our officers are on the ground and we are on high alert.”

KEBS has since shared an SMS alert number to verify the validity status of the sanitisers to know whether they are consumable or not.