Eldoret carpenter endures 360km walk to raise Covid vaccines awareness
On December 11th, at 11am, Leonard Kiplagat, a carpenter, set off from Eldoret town in a light sweater, a jacket, track suit pants and black rubber shoes. In his backpack he carried three pairs of socks, a pair of track suits, toothpaste, toothbrush, a water bottle and roasted maize.
His destination? Nairobi, on foot.
Kiplagat, 50, became worried more than ever before when the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 pandemic was named and introduced to the world by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and he decided to do something about it. He decided to sensitise his fellow citizens about the need to get vaccinated against the deadly virus.
“Kenyans, especially the young people I interact with back home, have completely dropped their guard, besides not getting vaccinated. I’m taking this 360-kilometre walk because Covid-19 is real, it has ruined our economy through endless lockdowns and we need a solution to protect ourselves, which is the vaccine that people are taking as a joke,” Mr Kiplagat said in an interview upon arrival in Nairobi.
On his neck hang a yellow string with a yellow whistle hanging on the front. His right hand held a meter-long pole with a four-feet square Kenyan flag tied at its apex. With his surgical mask well fitted and his phone in his pocket, he bid his wife and two young children goodbye and walked off.
Kiplagat wanted to cover 40 kilometres that day and, he and his friend who had accompanied him arrived at Burnt forest town by 8pm.
The next day, at 7.30 am they set off, and stopped outside Anaken Secondary School to take a picture.
Their target was to reach Makutano town and when they arrived there at 8pm that evening they took tea and mandazi, refilled their water bottle then slept in a Sh300-a-night lodge. On the third day, a Monday 13th, the two set off from makutano targeting Salgaa town.
“After walking for a few kilometres my friend started complaining of fatigue. He fell behind, and said he wouldn’t complete the journey with me. I felt dejected, but asked him to board a matatu to a place called Kamara, where I would meet him later during the day. I told myself that it was over with him. The goal was to walk all the way, and now that he had boarded a matatu, he had been disqualified,” says Kiplagat.
The determined carpenter told the Nation that enduring this journey is his way of appreciating all the medics for their incredible work since outbreak of the pandemic.
Leonard Kiplagat during an interview when he arrived in Nakuru city on December 15, 2021 in part of a 360km walk from Eldoret to Nairobi.
“I’m doing this to appreciate our nurses and doctors who have made huge sacrifices working round the clock just to keep us alive , the pains and hardships I am enduring on this journey represents their sacrifice to us .”
Along the way I have met so many people. Young and old, vendors, travellers, boda boda guys, the list is endless.
I stop by market places and stages for a chat about the importance of taking the jab and try to answer their questions.
I have my yellow whistle and the flag with me to whip onlookers to attention so that they listen as I explain to them why they need to get the jab as soon as possible,” he explained.
On Wednesday last week, he spent the whole day giving his body a well-deserved rest.
“I also didn’t tell my relatives because I suspected they would go to the chief and beg him to stop me, citing mental illness. I have a conviction to raise awareness about the importance of vaccination. I am double vaccinated myself, yet most of my friends and family members are not,” says Kiplagat.
“I want people to get vaccinated because the government has told us the doses are there in plenty and they should stop thinking that Health CS (Mutahi) Kagwe is joking. I want as well to condole with people I’ve met who have lost their loved ones to coronavirus.”
In an official response to the Nation, CS Kagwe termed Mr Kiplagat’s initiative as commendable.
"It is very laudable to see an ordinary citizen take up an initiative such as this one to sensitise the public.
We are fully in support of such initiatives and encourage other Kenyans to do the same within their communities, on market days, sports events, festivals or even in social gatherings so as to ramp up vaccinations and talk about its value. Just go out there and sensitise people including your friends and colleagues, you don't necessarily have to take a walk like Mr Kiplagat," the Health Secretary said. BY DAILY NATION
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