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Social distancing in Mukuru? Go tell it to the birds

Thursday, March 19th, 2020 00:00 | By
Mukuru Kayaba in Nairobi. Photo/PD/ANN NYATHIRA

Ann Nyathira

As public health officials struggle to manage the spread of coronavirus, it is business as usual at Nairobi’s Mukuru Kayaba slum.

A walk through the crowded roads of the informal settlement does not give you any indication of concern about the respiratory disease that has send the whole world into a panic. 

Children are playing in the streets, people clustering in small groups to chitchat, traders selling and customers buying.

However, this apparent nonchalance doesn’t mean residents are not worried about the disease. 

Collins Omondi first heard about coronavirus last month when it was reported that Kenyan students were stranded in China. 

Omondi, who runs and M-Pesa shop, thought he and his family were safe from the virus until President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed the first Covid-19 case in the country last Friday.

“I am scared for my life. This place is congested and you can’t walk a metre before bumping into someone. We live in tiny houses and most of them are single houses,” says Omondi who is a father of two.

Ill afford

He is concerned that if the virus infiltrates the slum, it would be difficult to control it. 

Collins Omondi, who together with two friends, have set up a free hand-washing station in the slum. Photo/PD/ANN NYATHIRA

“How will you self-quarantine from your family if you live in a bed-sitter? This will be disastrous and I am sure a lot of people will be infected,” he says.

To him and the thousands of the people in the informal settlement, bulk shopping for essentials like sanitisers and working from home is a luxury they can ill afford.

The situation in Mukuru amplifies the inequalities faced by the people living in the informal settlements and in low paid jobs, often with families to feed.

Despite the inherent risk of catching the virus now that the confirmed cases in the country keep rising, Omondi says he has no choice but keep the M-Pesa shop open to cater for his family.

“I am scared that someone might give me infected money but what can I do? I can’t refuse to take the money when I have a family to feed,” he said.

Another problem those who live in slums face is complying with measures  such as social distancing. Because of the dense population, avoiding crowds or close contact with other people is not easy.  

Hand-washing

“You just can’t tell us to be at least one metre from each other. There is no personal space here especially in public spaces,” says Omondi.

Omondi believes the poor will be more affected by the pandemic because of the low access to healthcare and other social amenities like clean water and adequate and nutritious food. 

Omondi accuses the government of failing Kenyans by delaying the closure of all entry points to prevent the disease from entering the country.

“I don’t want to be a pessimist but I have a fear the numbers could increase in the next few weeks. That’s why we decided to come up with a hand-washing station at the entrance of the slum,” he said.

Omondi and three other residents cater for everything in the hand-washing station from clean water, soap and washing containers.

For Jane Wamaitha, who is the Kijiji chairperson, her biggest worry is her four grandchildren who she is now living with after the government shut down all schools on Sunday.

“I am worried about my grandchildren. They are excited about being home instead of school unaware of the dangers they face.

I am thinking of taking them to our rural home to protect them from the disease. You just can’t tell a child to stay in the house the whole day,” says  Wamaitha.

She believes the children would have been safer in school which is a more controlled environment.

Wamaitha’s understanding of the coronavirus is that it is a pneumonia-like diseases that one can avoid catching by cleaning hands and staying away from crowded places. 

Ironically, as she urges he neighbours to wash their hands at the hand-washing station, she closely interacts with almost everyone walking in and out of the area.

“Social distancing won’t work here, because interacting with people is not a choice. You are forced by circumstances,” she says.

She commends Omondi and his partners for the hand-washing initiative.

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