COVID-19 has been biting hard on Kenyans particularly the economic and social aspect of it. Health CS Mutahi Kagwe asked telco giant Safaricom to support over 5,500 Government healthcare workers to be able to access seamless worry-free communication between the frontline teams, the Command Centre and their loved ones and while at it execute a coordinated national response.
Safaricom has responded to the plea by CS Kagwe and will be providing 10 million voice call minutes, 195 terabytes of data, and 33 million SMSs to critical government healthcare workers for the next three months. Ministry of Health, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, and frontline healthcare workers both at National and County levels will be among the beneficiaries of the communication resources.
Government healthcare workers will get a monthly bundle consisting of 12GB data + 600 voice call minutes + 2,000 SMSs per month. These will also get topped up to the individual lines of the COVID-19 frontline workers as identified by the Ministry of Health.
Afya House will be given 100 Mbps Internet Connectivity for the National Command and Control Centre.15 members of the COVID-19 Emergency response fund, will be given a one-off bundle consisting of 50GB data + 3,500 voice call minutes + 10,000 SMSs.
“The gallant frontline healthcare workers are our first line of defence against the pandemic and their dedication to serving the country has helped slow down infections within our communities. We not only want to appreciate the great work they are doing, but also facilitate their communication as they continue discharging their duties.
“We are cognizant of the challenge ahead of us and our purpose as an organisation is clear, to keep our customers connected and support Kenyans in whatever way we can,” said Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom PLC Chief Executive Officer.
In its full-year results, Safaricom revealed that it had channelled resources worth Ksh 6.5 Billion towards combating COVID-19, after reporting over Ksh 74 Billion profit after tax.
