by MAGDALINE SAYA AND PHILOMENA KILONZO

It is a requirement of the Health Ministry that all Kenyans must wear face masks in public, including open-air markets and supermarkets.

Anybody violating the directive faces a hefty fine, according to a gazette notice published by Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe last weekend.

Those who can’t afford the masks have resorted to wearing handkerchiefs, bras and underwear to protect themselves.

On Tuesday, Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai directed his officers to arrest those found in public without face masks.

On the same day, Nairobi police boss Philip Ndolo maintained that those found wearing anything else rather than a standard mask will be arrested.

Ndolo told the Star: “Those (bras etc) are not masks. Who has tested them? There is a reason why the Kenya Bureau of Standards has come up with standards.

“So if you are putting on an envelope or something similar, then that is not a mask. Why don’t you just go for the right thing which is tested and is proven to be the right quality for health reasons?”

He cautioned those getting theirs from hawkers to be careful and sanitise them before use. “It is impractical for the police to control every, Tom, Dick and Harry in in business in Nairobi.” 

Martin Mutua, Health Ministry official reiterated that those wearing “such masks” will be arrested.

“Those things have been poured all over … they are supposed to be cheap. You can wear home-made cloth masks because they will protect you from dust…at least you will be having something,” he told the Star by phone.

Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna said at Shona EPZ Limited in Athi River on Tuesday that in as much as the public is being encouraged to have face masks in public places, the items must be of the right quality.

“What the government is doing is to make sure the PPEs that can get to the health workers are of good quality since not every mask is approved for use by the health workers and the community,” he said.

Kenya Medical and Dentist Council chair Eva Njenga urged the ministry to address the quality of materials used to make the masks.

She said Kenyans have been producing masks that are barely protecting them and the matter should be addressed urgently.

“This issue of masks is very crucial and if you look around people have been wearing different types of masks. I think the Ministry of Health should give us what types of masks are approved for community use,”Njenga said.

What are the standards?

Kenya Bureau of Standards MD Bernard Njiraini has said that a good mask lies in the design. The mask must be three-ply, meaning it must have three layers.

“The outer layer is supposed to be waterproof and that is hydrophobic, the middle layer is supposed to filter in the micro-organisms and the inner layer is supposed to absorb some moisture so all these layers have some functions,” Njiraini said on Tuesday.

All manufacturers will be required to adhere to these standards. According to Trade and Industrialisation CS Betty Maina, there are masks for medical personnel and there are general masks that anyone can wear as they go out to prevent them from getting any of the infections in the course of their business.

“Three-ply can be utilised by the health professionals but is also good for you, so if you go out to buy ensure you can detect that it has got three-plies. There is the inner layer then the darker part is the outer layer for gathering dust but there should be a filter inside it. That is something medical personnel can wear ass well as all of us,” she said.

She encouraged the public to acquire three plies. Dust masks can be worn by everybody including boda boda riders.

Maina said of woven cloth mask: “It may protect you against dust and other particles in the air but it will not protect you against this disease because it doesn’t have the inner filter.”

According to Kebs, there are two Kenya standards relating to medical face masks – KS2636:2016 that specifies materials, composition, type, workmanship, design, size, test methods, labelling, and packaging of surgical masks and KS2409-6:2018 on filtering face masks to protect against particles.

Source: The Star