Inmates at the Narok GK prison had a rare opportunity of being trained by the Kenya Red Cross Society on basic first aid and environmental conservation topics, as the society celebrated the World Red Cross Day.
The over 700 inmates were taken through practical experiments on what to do when someone faints, is choked, involved in a minor accident, fire incidents among others.
Narok Branch Red Cross Coordinator Celestine Ogutu said they chose to celebrate the day with the prisoners as they wanted to impart some basic first aid knowledge to them.
Ms Ogutu welcomed the members of the public to join the humanitarian society so as to elevate human suffering and help improve livelihoods.
“You can choose to volunteer to be one of us or one can become a member by paying a certain fee. An ordinary member pays Sh1000 per year, a junior member in school pays Sh100 annually while a life member pays Sh5, 000 only once,” she told the inmates.
The coordinator insisted on the need for many people to volunteer to be trained on basic first aid, saying Narok is prone to floods and several accidents reported along the Maai Mahiu- Narok- Bomet highway.
“The boda boda operators should be trained in large numbers so that they can help in cases of accidents. Most of them are not able to handle victims of accidents and sometimes choose to keep off the scene,” she said.
At the same time, the over 30 Red Cross members planted over 200 trees at the prison’s premises as a way of conserving the environment.
Narok GK prisoner second in command Soit Boit lauded Red Cross for the free basic first aid training of the inmates noting that most of them are injured while working at the workshop or farm.
“The knowledge they gained today is key. They will be able to assist others even when they go out of prison,” he said.
He disclosed that the prison has a population of 776 men and 26 women.
By Ann Salaton
