Beneficiaries of Nairobi politician Mike Sonko’s Covid-19 care packages can expect to receive the typical staple foods, except for one item: alcohol.
Sonko, the governor of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, confirmed at a press briefing last Tuesday that his care packages include a few small bottles of cognac, Hennessy.
The governor justified the inclusion of alcohol as a “throat sanitizer.”
“I think from research conducted by the World Health Organization and various organizations, it is believed that alcohol plays a major role in coronavirus death,” Sonko said in a video.
But the World Health Organization has explicitly stated that alcohol does not protect against the coronavirus and advises people to reduce its consumption to a minimum.
In a post published by WHO last Tuesday, the organization said that alcohol can weaken an individual’s health and make them more vulnerable to viruses, including the coronavirus.
Githinji Gitahi, the CEO of Amref Health Africa, a medical nonprofit, condemned Sonko’s statement in a Twitter post and called on Kenyans to get rid of alcohol.
This isn’t the first time Sonko has come under public scrutiny. The governor was arrested late last year pour corruptionand was forced to hand over part of his duties to the national government.
Meanwhile, Hennessy has refuted, through local media, the Nairobi Governor’s claims that his drink in particular or alcohol in general can prevent the contagion of coronavirus.
“Hennessy would like to emphasize that the consumption of our brand or any other alcoholic beverage does not protect against the virus,” reads part of his statement to the Nairobi News.
CNN was unable to reach Sonko for comment.
Source: cnn.com