Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, on Thursday, April 16, gave a sad tale involving his daughter, that hurt him deeply to warn his county residents of the seriousness of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking during a live presser broadcasted on his Facebook page, the governor almost broke down when confessing to the pain he experiences every time he walks into his house, only to avoid the running embrace of his daughter.
"You can't sometimes hug your own daughter. Yesterday when I got home my daughter ran towards me but I had to stop her. I told her I need to sanitise and shower. It was a very painful experience," he narrated.
The visibly shaken governor then went on to explain how his life had changed since the virus broke out, and urged his residents not to take the matter lightly.
"I am not used to staying at home, I've been a politician for almost half my life. I am used to interacting with people on the ground,
Now I only come out of my house to the office for specific purposes such as this briefing," he disclosed.
He then rubbished myths regarding the virus that were spreading in the county, claiming that the coronavirus could not survive in warm temperatures nor could it infect Africans.
"This thing is real and we are as susceptible to it as any other nation, people or region.
Joho was speaking in the capacity of Chairman of the Mombasa County Emergency Household Relief and Nutrition Project and went on to receive donations in the form of essential items as well as money from several countless well-wishers.
He assured the donors that they had set up a system such that they would be able to track their donations right to the very households they'd be handed to via a mobile platform.
The governor also announced that the Technical University of Mombasa had been converted to a stand-alone COVID-19 emergency centre and that he'd be officially opening it for use on either Sunday, April 19 or the day after.
"My humble appeal to everyone is that we come together. If we do, I believe we can defeat this pandemic," he stated in his closing remarks.
Watch Joho's speech below:
