NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 – Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) rolled out mass COVID-19 testing in Nairobi’s 17 sub-counties targeting on Saturday more than 200 people per sub county on the first day of the campaign.
Nairobi County Chief Health Officer Dr. Ouma Oluga said the agency was hoping to test around 6,000 people by Sunday when the two-day exercise will be completed.
“We are very ready to do even 5,000 today because we have seen the turn up is good and therefore, I am asking Nairobi residents to turn out in large numbers because no one will be turned back. We have the required capacity,” Oluga said.
The exercise is the second such initiative by NMS, the first mass testing having been conducted in May.
Oluga said the mass screening was aimed at evaluating the burden of the disease in the City County which currently accounts for 58 per cent of the total cases in the country.
“This second round of mass testing is meant to help us know where we stand now because we have seen in other countries, they are experiencing second waves and we would want to avoid that. So, even as we plan to put other response measures, we do that based on science and evidence,” he said.
Nairobi South Health Centre and Plainsview in South B will be the venue for mass testing in Starehe Constituency while Dagoretti North residents will be tested at Muslim Chief’s office on Saturday and Kilimani Primary School on Sunday. Kayole II Health Centre will host Embakasi Central residents.
Embakasi North residents will be tested at Dandora I Health Centre while Githurai Primary School is where Roysambu residents can go to know their COVID-19 status.
Kasarani Health Centre will be the mass testing location for Kasarani residents while people from Kamukunji will be tested at Zawadi Primary School on Saturday and Eastleigh Health Centre on Sunday.
Mukuru Health Centre will serve as testing venue for Embakasi South sub-county residents, High Ridge Primary School and Kihumbuini Grounds for Westlands residents, Huruma Lions Health Centre for Mathare residents, Ngei Primary School for Langata and Kibra DO’s office for Kibra residents.
For Ruaraka sub-county, Mathare North Health Centre will be the mass testing venue, Mutuini Hospital for Dagoretti South people, Nairobi Pentecostal Glory Church for Embakasi East residents, Umoja I Health Centre for Embakasi West while those from Makadara will converge at Star of Hope Primary School on Saturday and Rabai Road Primary School on Sunday.
Kenya has so far recorded 43, 580 cases, 31, 648 recoveries and 813 deaths
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