Ex-offender won't let go of hope despite ordeal

Editor's note: This news column showcases stories from around the world that bring a touch of positivity to the fight against the deadly coronavirus.

When Kenya's first coronavirus case was announced in March, Kennedy Odhiambo was serving the last five months of a prison sentence in the capital Nairobi. Odhiambo remembers the fear that spread among the prisoners in their crowded cells.

"We had been following the news on the pandemic because inmates are allowed to watch news on television once a day," Odhiambo said of that time in the city's Jamhuri Prison. "With the information we were getting about the virus, we were worried about what our fate would be especially if the infection managed to get within the prison walls."

He said the prison department took measures to ensure the safety of the inmates and as time progressed they realized that they could stay clear of the virus if they followed the laid-down instructions.

"Once the virus was detected in Kenya, the prison authorities put in place measures to ensure we did not get infected," Odhiambo said. "The masks we used were made within the prison and sanitization points were erected. We also received regular supplies of soap and tissue paper and no one was allowed visitors.

"In addition, the government decided to release some inmates to reduce the congestion within the prison. As a result, old prisoners, those arrested for petty crime and those with small fines outstanding were released early."

When his sentence ended in August, Odhiambo said he walked free but into a totally different world. With the coronavirus restrictions announced by the government in full force, he had to adjust in order to fit into the new reality.

"The biggest impact I noticed, and which soon became my biggest worry, was the number of job losses that had resulted from the virus," he said.

"Having left prison, my priority was to turn my life around, get a job and start picking up the pieces. But I was walking into a world where people were losing their jobs."

'Could not let it pass'

He said that the people he was hoping would help him get back on his feet had either lost their jobs or moved out of the city. When he got an opportunity to work with a garbage collection company, he could not let it pass.

"Garbage collection is not what I had in mind when I was thinking about getting a job but I had little or no choice but to take up the job," Odhiambo said.

Odhiambo, while trying to be optimistic that things will eventually turn around, said he does not want to maintain false hopes. People should be ready to endure the difficulties for some time to come, he said.

"I would like to be hopeful and say that things will be better next year but I know it will not be that simple," he said. "The number of people who have lost their jobs is so huge that it will take time to get things back to normal. That is why I have to work with what I have."

He plans to get into farming and rear pigs once he manages to secure some funding. He believes that young people need to think about creating opportunities for themselves as employment prospects dwindle.