Woman on Likoni ferry with make-shift plastic mask given Ksh.100k

A Kenyan woman who was seen on the Likoni ferry decked in a make-shift face mask fashioned from a soda bottle has been awarded Ksh.100,000 and hundreds of masks.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho said the money will help her start a small business and enable her to feed her family while the masks will serve her and her neighbours.

“This woman did not sit at home saying she does not have a mask, she improvised, we do not know if her mask is medically viable, but we are picking the message from a positive perspective,” Joho said.

He spoke while commissioning 10 ventilators to be used in the fight against coronavirus.

The Mombasa Governor lauded the woman for showing Kenyans the seriousness of the pandemic.

The mother of two hit the headlines on Monday with her make-shift mask painting the stark reality that Kenyans of modest means face.

She had made two masks: one for herself and another for her young daughter to protect themselves from the pandemic.

Ironically, the threat of death by suffocation from the plastic bottle did not deter the woman from fashioning the mask.

This comes as the Kenyan Government reiterates the need for citizens to observe directives such as social distancing and the 7pm to 5am curfew.

On Wednesday, Kenya confirmed an additional 22 cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 81.

“This is the largest number we have received in a day,” he said.