Painter to ride across 25 counties for Covid-19 public sensitisation
John Wafula
A 28-year-old man Fredrick Ochieng Otieno, born in Siaya County and lives Marsabit has volunteered to sensitise the public across 25 counties on Covid-19 pandemic using his bicycle.
Speaking to journalists when he toured Bungoma County for his usual sensitisation exercise, Ochieng said he decided to concentrate on Western counties because it is now Covid-19 hotspots with the Indian variant type.
“Western and Nyanza counties have been mapped as hotspot region for Covid-19, I am appealing to residents to follow the guidelines put in place to curb the spread of the pandemic,” he said.
Sensitisation exercise
Ochieng, a painter in Marsabit county said that he will be winding up his sensitisation exercise in Turkana asking residents to cooperate with him, he added that the bicycle allows him access remote areas where road networks is a major challenge.
“Using my bicycle I access areas that cannot be reached by a vehicle or a motorcycle,” he said.
He asked the Ministry of Health to intervene and if possible fund him to keep on spreading sensitisation message to Kenyans.
He asked the Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe to receive his calls when reaching him.
“I have been trying to reach out to our able Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe but my efforts have hit a dead end,” he said.
In his appeal, he asked county governments to ensure that residents have facemasks and put them on properly.
However, he added that apart from his sensitisation exercise he also advocates against drug abuse among youths in the country.
Ochieng uses a small amplifier a battery of 12 volts where he puts songs to sensitize the public on covid-19 as he cycles across the counties and his bicycle has messages written on it.
The 25 counties are Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Makueni, Kitui, Machakos, Kajiado, Narok, Bomet, Nyamira, Kisii, Migori, Homabay, Vihiga, Kakamega, Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot and Turkana.
Ochieng started the sensitization Programme on May 10 and has already visited 19 counties and he is yet to visit Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot and Turkana.
