High demand for detergents exceeds supply
Lewis Njoka, Eric Juma, James Magayi and Viola Kosome
Retailers and suppliers across the country are overwhelmed by the high demand for hand sanitisers and detergents following the official announcement that Covid-19 is now in Kenya.
A spot check by People Daily in Nairobi revealed that most supermarkets have run out of sanitisers despite the stocks being replenished several times in a day.
Health experts have advised people to use alcohol-based sanitisers to ward off coronavirus, resulting in high demand for the product.
Those who fail to buy alcohol-based sanitisers are resorting to medicated soaps, antiseptics and ordinary hand wash leading to sharp increase in the sale of toiletries in general.
A visit to Naivas supermarket, Moi Avenue, yesterday revealed that it was out of sanitisers and face masks, yet it had restocked in the morning.
The foodstuff section is also experiencing increased activity as people stock up fearing a complete lockdown of the city as has happened in China, Italy and other countries hard hit by the virus.
“Suppliers cannot meet our demand for sanitisers and masks meaning we are not meeting the demand of our customers either,” said a staff member, who is not authorised to speak to media.
The situation is no different at Tuskys Imara, located on the Accra road-Tom Mboya Street junction.
Acute shortage
Sanitisers and disinfectants such as surgical spirit are out of stock with only a few bottles of antiseptic available.
“I came to looking for masks and disinfectants but both are out of stock,” said a Nairobi shopper identified only as James.
The situation is no different in Kisumu where an acute shortage of hand sanitisers has been reported.
Luckily, almost every major institution in the lakeside city has installed hand sanitisers at their entrances.
At Tusky’s Lolwe supermarket, one is met by empty shelves in the sanitisers section while Khetias, Naivas, Quick Mart and UpMart supermarkets have a notice restricting customers from picking more than three sanitisers.
In Siaya, some supermarkets and entrance to some government offices are lacking sanitiser dispensers contrary to a recent State directive.
By yesterday morning, only the entrance leading to the offices of the Governor, top health officials, and gates of Siaya Law Courts and hospitals had sanitiser dispensers and thermometer guns.
