This archive report was first published on 12 July 2020.
Published on July 12, 2020, a viral image of a hospital bed made by Meshack Otieno, a Jua Kali artisan based in Juja, Kiambu County, has sparked a wave of interest in affordable and durable hospital beds.
Meshack Otieno, the artisan behind the viral hospital beds, revealed that he was surprised by the overwhelming response his beds had received.
Before creating the hospital beds, Otieno primarily made metallic gates, window grills, and doors. However, a client from Murang'a County approached him with a photo of a hospital bed, which he was tasked to make.
"I had previously made some things for him and he liked them, so he asked me to make the hospital bed and the table bed," Otieno noted.
He explained that the client had previously been impressed by his work and trusted him to make a hospital bed meeting various specifications.
"He said he wanted to avoid importing the beds which is why he approached me. After I made the sample we delivered about 20 such beds," Otieno stated.
One of the hospital beds built by Meshack Otieno, a Jua Kali artisan based in Juja, Kiambu
Meshack Otieno's hospital beds include reclining features, designed to be easily adjustable to provide comfort for their users.
He argued that his hospital beds were more durable than many imported hospital beds he had previously repaired.
"You know, I've been called to places to do repair jobs on various imported hospital beds and I can say for sure that ours is more durable," Otieno noted.
