Family Rounded Up After Man Dies With Covid-19 Symptoms

A photo of Kenya Red Cross paramedics and volunteers at the Nakuru County Level 5 Hospital during a training exercise on the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in light of the Covid-19 pandemic on Saturday, March 15, 2020.
Kenya Red Cross paramedics and volunteers at the Nakuru County Level 5 Hospital during a training exercise on the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in light of the Covid-19 pandemic on Saturday, March 15, 2020.
File

The mysterious hurried burial of a man on Sunday, April 12, in Siaya County raised eyebrows among locals who suspected that he may have succumbed to Covid-19.

The 59-year-old man was a Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) employee based in Mombasa and had passed away on Friday, April 10, at around 8.00 p.m.

A police report confirmed that the man had travelled from Mombasa on Sunday, April 5, accompanied by his wife and two children.

Hospital beds at a Coronavirus isolation and treatment facility in Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Hospital beds at a Coronavirus isolation and treatment facility in Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Simon Kiragu
KENYANS.CO.KE

The KPA employee was able to beat Uhuru's ban on movement outside Nairobi and travelled out of the city towards Siaya on Monday, April 6.

The employee and his family were involved in a minor accident while travelling to their upcountry home along the Kerich-Kisumu highway necessitating the police to tow his car to Awasi Police Station.

They eventually set off again from Kisumu to Ukwala on April 7 and remained indoors upon arrival.

He only began coughing days later after which he was sent to Matibabu Foundation Private Hospital on April 10 where he passed on.

His blood samples were sent off to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) labs for testing on Saturday, April 11. 

A statement by the Ministry of Health (MoH) released on Sunday, April 12 has confirmed that the man died of Covid-19.

"Unfortunately we regret to inform you that we have lost one patient in Siaya. This now brings the total number of coronavirus deaths in the country to eight. Contact tracing is ongoing," an excerpt from the MoH statement reads.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe (Left) and his Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi during a press briefing in March 2020.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe (Left) and his Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi during a press briefing in March 2020.
File

Following the revelation, over 30 people including neighbours and family members of the deceased KPA employee were rounded up and taken to the Siaya KMTC grounds. 

They will undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine period as their samples are tested for the virus.

Medical staff who interacted with the man at Matibabu Hospital are also among those held in quarantine.

  • . . . .