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Kenya has set aside adequate funds to facilitate the acquisition of protective gear and life-saving drugs required to manage COVID-19 cases once they are detected in the country, officials said on Monday.

Jonah Manjari, Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Medical Supplies Agency, said that local manufacturers have been put on notice to enhance the supply of masks and essential medicine required to tackle a novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.

According to Manjari, Kenya is treating COVID-19 like a health emergency though no single case has been reported in the country.

“We have placed orders for masks that can be manufactured locally and today alone, we are set to procure two million masks as efforts to contain the outbreak gathers momentum,” said Manjari.

“The Ministry of Health has provided a list of recommended N95 masks and medicine to treat fever and pneumonia,” he added.

“We have prioritized emergency procurement of commodities to support treatment of the disease,” said Manjari.

He said that an inter-agency task force formed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to respond to the COVID-19 is exploring financing, regulatory and human capacity interventions, that should be adopted to enhance response to the epidemic.

Kenya serves as a regional trade and transportation hub in east Africa. (Xinhua)