Young man in solo effort to campaign against Covid-19

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A young man Alvin Otila who has come out to campaign against Covid -19 in Narok town.

You will find him out on the streets of Narok Town each day shouting his lungs out ‘Nawa Mikono, Zuia Corona’ with his body painted with colours of the national flag.

For a start, you might confuse him with a street comedian in need of few pennies from well-wishers, but on keenly looking at his bodily paints and carefully drafted messages on the global pandemic, you immediately take a moment to listen to him.

Alvin Otila 28, wakes up every morning, paints himself up, straps a five-litre jerry can of water on his back and heads out to Narok town where he begins to educate residents on the importance of proper hygiene to prevent potential widespread of the raging Coronavirus.

According to Otila, who is both a painter and an artist, the global pandemic hit him hard after he lost his business following the government’s directive to close all entertainment hubs.

“I earn my living from performing in clubs and other social gatherings like weddings, birthdays, graduations and political meetings. Now that the government has banned all these, I am left with no much work to do except informing people of the global pandemic,” he said.

Speaking to KNA Friday, Otila reiterated that instead of sitting down and doing nothing, he decided to go out on the streets and put his skills into work so that the residents can overcome the catastrophe.

“I carry the jerry can of water on my back and soap on my hands every day so that I can demonstrate to the town dwellers on what is expected of them during this difficult season,” he explained.

On a normal day, Otila says he washes hands of up to 200 residents including the street children, boda boda riders, street vendors and retail shop owners around town.

He also educates anyone willing to give an ear on how to further prevent the spread of the deadly virus that has claimed over 365,000 lives globally.

“No one pays me for doing what I do, but I feel it is my duty to let people know what is expected of them so as we can completely eradicate the deadly virus from our midst,” he said.

However, the artist is now appealing to well-wishers to support him in his charity works of educating others on the importance of proper hygiene.

“I use my own money to buy soap and water to clean the hands of the residents. I request anyone willing to support my endeavor to kindly reach out to me so that we can save more people on this deadly disease,” said Otila.

A boda boda rider Charles Mutua at Almis stage in Narok Town is one of the beneficiaries of his work as he has been reminded to regularly wash his hands with soap.

“Some time we forget that we are supposed to wash our hands regularly with running water and soap. When Otila comes around shouting and demonstrating to us how to wash our hands, he reminds most of us some of the basics to prevent Covid-19,” said the boda boda rider.

Another beneficiary of Otila’s charity work is Steven Kandeti, a matatu driver plying Mau-Narok route who is also very grateful to the efforts of the young man.

“What amazes me most is that this young man is so consistent and never gives up though he doesn’t get support from anyone. I ask the county government to consider employing him as a county ambassador for Covid-19,” said the Matatu driver.

Narok County is one of the few counties in the country that have not recorded a single case of Covid-19 and the authorities are leaving nothing to chance bearing in mind that all its neighbouring counties have so far reported positive cases.