Whether to wear or not to wear facemasks to prevent the spread of Covid-19 has been debated over the course of the last several months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have now made the following recommendation:
'CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission'.
Based on these recommendations President Kenyatta has urged all Kenyans to wear masks when out in public. But where to find masks? KenyaBuzz has you covered- below are places where you can find masks in Nairobi:
Surgical masks (3ply masks)
Kam pharmacy (020 2221825) located in Westlands sells surgical masks - 5 pieces for ksh 1,500 while Pharmaplus pharmacy (0748 191 308) located in capital centre also sell 5 surgical masks for kshs 750, 10 at kshs 1,500 and 50 at kshs 7,000.
N95 masks
NOTE: these should be bought only if you are a front line worker or have high risk of getting infected- e.g. treating a family member
Pharmaplus pharmacy at Capital Centre also sells N95s at ksh 1,500 per piece.
Lytons pharmacy at the Hilton Arcarde in Nairobi CBD sells N95s at 2,000 per piece.
Cloth face masks
Cloth face masks are a great alternative to manufactured masks as there is a rising shortage of masks all over the wold due to the high demand across continents. You could purchase cloth face masks through one of these vendors

Vivo active wear

This is a popular store in Kenya that mainly sells women's clothes. It has recently launched reusable cotton and spandex masks for sale. The store promises to give one mask away for every mask they sell. To order a mask, call or whatsapp 0705408426 or 0703420780. The masks retail at 5 masks ksh  500, 10 for ksh 800, 15 for ksh 1000,  50 for ksh 3250 and 100 for 6,000. Currently the masks are made of a navy blue material but they plan to produce ankara masks in the near future.

Rowamy

This is a fashion design company with products inspired by African fabric and prints. The organization has pop up stores in Village market between Absa Bank and Brood Bakery and in New Muthaiga Mall on Thigiri road and are open daily from 9am to 6pm. They sell re-usable and washable face masks lined with a filter. One piece retails at ksh 350, bulk orders starting from 100 pieces retail at ksh 200 each. To order please call 0726087393 or 0710712630.

Bare Berries intimates

This is an online Instagram shop that sells women's under garments. In a move to promote staying safe and healthy, the organization has started production of re-usable face masks. To place an order you would need to access their shop located in Ngong road business centre. Their Instagram page is bare_berriesintimates and one mask costs ksh 300.

NOTE:   Wearing masks is not a silver bullet in fighting the Coronavirus. They cannot prevent you from getting the disease. Your best defence is to stay home and social distance.
This is the proper way to wear a mask according to WHO
  • Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
  • Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask.
  • Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
  • Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks.
  • To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask); discard immediately in a closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks
 

About The Author

Author
Maureen Kasuku

Maureen is our resident cat lady and Beyoncé stan. She writes about spas, brunch and ballet recitals but has never been to any. Moonlights as a social justice activist in her spare time. She knows things and is obnoxiously opinionated on the internet but not in real life

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