Kirinyaga County Public Health officers have began a major condom distribution exercise ahead of the sixth devolution conference scheduled for Monday.
The team has already distributed over 100,000 condoms for use during the occasion.
“We ordered for these condoms well in advance since we are aware of the nature of human beings, they will certainly be socializing but should be in a safe manner,” a distributor told a local daily on condition of anonymity.
Governor Anne Waiguru and the public health officers, have been involved in the distribution of the condoms in all social places.
“This is normal practice by health agencies when we expect many visitors to a place. You cannot stop adults from having fun. But you can assist in advocating for safe sex,” one county health official said.
The condoms are being given out for free at all the social places including bars, restaurants and hotels for partners who want to engage in safe sex during the period.
Anticipating a busy week, hospitality service providers say that although the free condoms had been distributed to their premises, they too had already stocked some for the governance conference.
On Sunday organizers were putting in place final touches ahead of the conference that will take place between March 4-8.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga are among the 6000 delegates expected to attend the Conference which will be convened at the Kirinyaga University.
The sixth devolution conference is an annual conference that brings together all the 47-governors, key stakeholders among other high profiled dignitaries to try and find solutions in which counties can become more economically viable.
This year’s conference is anchored on President Kenyatta’s big four agenda and will lay emphasis on Housing, Infrastructure, Trade, Agriculture as well as Health.
It however, comes at a time when counties are struggling to disentangle themselves from deeply rooted graft, with the Auditor General alleging massive wastage of public resources in the counties.
Governors have also been accused of doing little to help improve service delivery to the citizenry.
