Is this a joke ? Governor Josphat Nanok believes that Cow urine is your lifeline against the Covid-19 pandemic and has told Turkana residents in remote areas who cannot afford the industrial sanitiser to disinfect their hands with the urine.
According to Nanok, Turkanas have for ages used cow urine to sanitise udders before milking. He encouraged those who cannot afford the industrial sanitiser to use the easily available “sanitiser” to wash their hands and keep away the highly contagious virus.
And as if to further promote cow urine for hand sanitising, the governor cautioned against careless handling of industrial sanitiser as it is flammable.
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“Sanitiser is made of alcohol and glycerin, which is highly flammable. When one uses it in the kitchen while cooking, it endangers life. The best idea to prevent risks of contracting coronavirus is to wash hands with water and soap. Sanitiser should be only used where there is no water and soap,” he said.
He added: “Locals in remote regions should use cow urine to disinfect their hands and prevent the spread of the virus. After all, they have been using the same urine to disinfect cow udders before milking and it has been effective.”
Nanok spoke on Wednesday when he received surgical masks and hand sanitiser from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Kakuma manager Kahin Ishmael.
Ishmael said the 10,000 masks and sanitiser in 300 containers will be used by frontline workers.
“We are collaborating with Turkana county government through the Ministry of Health to strengthen efforts of preventing and mitigating Covid-19. The supplies will boost county efforts by ensuring the healthcare workers and members of security forces are protected while on duty,” he said.
His organisation is collaborating with health partners to set up three isolation centres in Kakuma and Kalobeyei for Covid-19 patients in case of an outbreak.
They have also identified schools that can be used as quarantine centres. Kakuma and Kalobeyei have 196,000 refugees.
Nanok’s suggestion of cow urine sanitiser is not unique. Some pseudo-science and WhatsApp enthusiasts in India advocate the virtues of using it against Covid-19. They claim cow urine, known in Hindu as gaumutra, is a disinfectant.
