PBI-Kenya thanks Christopher Omoke for his work to stop the spread of COVID-19

On April 5, the Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project posted about Christopher Omoke, a toolkit organizer from Langata settlement.

The toolkit was developed by PBI-Kenya primarily for women human rights defenders in Kenya and specifically for those in the urban settlements of Nairobi.

PBI-Kenya highlights, “Christopher has taken it upon him to sensitize members of his community on measures to help curb the spread of COVID-19. He demonstrates how to wash hands with soap and water in the correct way and gives one-on-one information on how to take hygiene measures.”

Access to water is a challenge in many parts of Nairobi, including Langata.

In February 2019, The Star reported, “The acute water shortage in Langata estate has been blamed on cartels. City Hall officials say the county government can only meet 30 per cent of the total water requirements of Lang’ata residents due to cartels who cut supply lines [to divert water].”

The Guardian has explained, “For a long time, the growing demand for water services in urban informal settlements has been met by ruthless cartels who make a killing from disrupting the existing water supply and selling water off at very high rates.”

“And as their access to the supply had been cut off, many slum residents have been forced to rely on these private vendors for their daily water needs.”

A recent article in the Daily Nation highlighted that the Social Justice Centres Working Group is demanding that “the government restore the water supply to all slums and crack down on the water cartels that extort Kenyans.”

PBI-Canada joins PBI-Kenya in saying, “Kudos Christopher for the good work.”

To read more about Christopher in his own words, please click here.