KENYA – The Kenya Council of Governors (CoG) has published the County Innovations and Best Practices on Covid-19 Response showcasing interventions made in the fight against Covid-19.

The publication is a compilation of innovative approaches taken by 13 county governments in the efforts to prevent, manage and respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The compendium was prepared by CoG’s Maarifa Centre which compiles best practices from the counties funded by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme.

One of the successful stories highlighted is Machakos County’s move to convert Kenyatta Stadium into a makeshift hospital for mass testing and isolation for mild to moderate cases.

The stadium is located about 200m from Machakos Level 5 Hospital which made it easier to refer emergency cases to the Intensive Care Unit.

“The 60-bed capacity temporary hospital was made out of a tent at the stadium and installed with testing equipment as well as handwashing facilities,” the publication outlined.

Additionally, Kericho County was recognized for resorting to radiology to test coronavirus as an alternative method of COVID-19 testing.

Doctors at Kericho County Referral Hospital used the CT Scan to determine the status of suspected COVID-19 patients where patients showed a unique pattern in the lungs that diverges from that of asthmatic patients or any other patient with a respiratory condition.

“About 99% of the cases confirmed positive through radiology also turned out positive using the COVID-19 testing reagents,” the report shows.

In Kitui County, Governor Charity Ngilu’s administration procured locally made face masks from the Kitui County Textiles Centre and distributed them to all learners ahead of the school reopening in 2020 which lessened the burden on parents.

When schools reopened in January 2021, the county distributed 200,000 masks in all primary schools and 27,000 in secondary schools.

In Migori County, the Health Department deployed healthcare workers to the GK Prisons treatment center which had been dedicated to handling Covid-19 cases.

Other counties recognized include Nyeri County which made beds locally to achieve the nationwide target of 300,000 bed capacity.

“Most of the prison’s office spaces were converted to treatment rooms and holding areas,” the report further highlighted.

Speaking at the launch, Council of Governors Chair Martin Wambora said the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inadequacies in the health sector in terms of human resources, hospital beds, ICU equipment including supplies such as ventilators and oxygen.

True to the saying necessity is the mother of invention, the situation forced counties to come up with local initiatives to contain the widespread virus.

“Counties had to work round the clock to prevent deaths while cushioning citizens from the ripple effects of COVID-19,” Wambora said.

He restated that since the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Kenya in March 2020, county governments have been at the frontline in the prevention, management and response of the pandemic.

The counties have collectively increased isolation beds, installed additional functional PSA Oxygen plants, procured more oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators as well as connected more than 3,000 beds to oxygen.

The collection is a reference point for counties and their institutions to borrow from during any other health emergency since the knowledge is well documented.

It will also be useful to both levels of government, partners, private sector, civil society organizations, researchers and students.

He further urged the public sector to invest in knowledge management so that the success stories of service delivery can be replicated in future.

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