EABL donates 135,000 litres of alcohol to help in manufacture of free hand sanitizers

Tony Mukere

March 25, 2020 11:00 AM

Move free hand sanitizers to help protect Kenyans

A file of the EABL management team at their Ruaraka plant

Kenya's leading alcoholic beverages manufacturer, EABL, has donated 135,000 litres of ethanol to help in the manufacture of free hand sanitizers as the country continues to fight the coronavirus.

The company responded after an acute shortage of hand sanitizers in Kenya since the first case of the coronavirus was recorded.

Unscrupulous dealers have been hoarding the little hand sanitizers with some retailers selling them at an inflated price.

EABL made the Sh50 million worth of donation as part of its corporate social responsibility noting that the hand sanitizers would be targeted at the most vulnerable people in the Kenyan population - particularly in informal urban settlements and in rural areas.

EABL uses ethyl alcohol in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages but the chemical product is also a key ingredient in the production of hand sanitizers.

“We have engaged certified sanitizer producers to produce for us hand sanitizers for distribution to vulnerable groups and those at risk of exposure.

“We shall be engaging our sales personnel on the ground as well as distributors to ensure the sanitizers get to the most vulnerable groups, mainly those who do not have access to water and good sanitation,” EABL Foundation Trustee Eric Kiniti said.

The effort is a big shot in the arm of the government's parallel initiative to manufacture hand sanitizers which will be distributed to Kenyans for free.

Last week on Wednesday, Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua on Wednesday sent out a memo to various government corporations directing them to work together to manufacture the alcohol based sanitizers for purposes of free distribution to members of the public.

The initiative will be carried out through the Kenya Pipeline Corporations which will work with private sector players who have offered to help solve the coronavirus crisis.