The Vice Chancellor Karatina University launched a programme of donating masks to the vulnerable and elderly citizens of Nyeri County on 18th March 2021 in the Main Campus. This was part of the University’s initiative to respond to offering protection of spread of COVID-19 to the residents. During the launch, over 100 senior citizens received branded masks mostly from Mathira Est and West Sub-Counties.
The project was to involve further distribution of masks to other areas including Kieni West, Kieni East, Mukurweini, Tetu and Othaya sub-counties. Kieni West has since received donations during the event of World Environment Day on 8th June 2020. The Mask Sub-Committee under the Deputy Vice Chancellor(ARSA) planned to donate the rest of over 2000 masks to residents from these other areas.
Members of the Masks Sub-Committee comprising of Dr. Grace Kamotho, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Josphat Kagema, Coordinator Community Outreach and Mr. Peter Ngugi, Senior Assistant Dean of Students embarked on the mission to the respective areas. We were also accompanied by Ms. Grace Marangu, Office Assistant Tea Institute and Mr. Leonard Wamae, Media Technician. We first sought authority from Deputy County Commissioners (DCC) of the four sub-counties and who overwhelmingly assisted us in mapping the elderly from there areas of jurisdiction. The team started off at Mukurweini Sub-County where the DCC, Ms. Hadya Abdallah received us warmly. She appreciated Karatina University for such a noble gesture on an initiative that impacted strongly on the vulnerable elderly people. Her message seemed to resonate in each place we went as the gesture of mask and food donation by an institution of higher learning was humbling.
At Tetu, the DCC Ms. Odilliah Ndeti requested for sustenance of the programme and its expansion to include majority of senior citizens in the sub-county. At Kieni East, the representative of the DCC Mr. Caleb Nyongesa requested the University to reach out to the youth in the region and offer business empowerment skills noting that the area has high level of unemployment.
Overally, the programme has been very successful in its endeavor to reach out to the vulnerable members of the society with over 5000 masks has so far been donated. We anticipate for its continuity through mobilization of resources so that we embark on extending it to other areas not covered. Indeed, this has come out as a strong marketing initiative of the University as the recipients have become our good ambassadors