Jared Onyancha, a security guard at Lenana School is appealing for help in settling a hospital bill after recovering from Covid-19.
In a video seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the guard asked for well-wishers to step in and help him settle the Ksh 42,000 bill for the cost incurred while in isolation and undergoing treatment.
Onyancha in the video admitted that he had not expected to cater for the treatment cost himself, alleging that since it was the government that had quarantined people at Lenana School, he expected to be helped.
"I was at the gate, Lenana School. The government had brought people to quarantine there for 14 days before they are released to go home.
"I was on duty, so I showed them where to sleep, what they should do, and entered their records, after which I was told to quarantine with them," Onyancha narrated.
"After six days, I was tested and the results came out positive. I had been infected by the people who had been brought there. I was brought to Kenyatta University Referral Hospital, I was treated and I have since recovered," he added.
Onyancha recovered from the virus and was set to be discharged from the hospital on Monday, April 12, 2020, but has since been held at the facility and would only be allowed to go home upon settling the Ksh 42,000 bill.
"I am a security guard. I did not expect to cover my bill, because the government brought the people to Lenana, and in the course of handling them, I contracted the virus," Onyancha stated.
On March 29, 2020, members of the public at the Lenana School decried the poor state of the quarantine facility, forcing action from the government.
Kenyans quarantined at the facility had complained about the deplorable state they were living in at the institution with several claiming that safety measures to curb the Covid-19 spread were not adhered to properly.
There were claims that several people under quarantine were sharing a small cubicle heightening the risk of infection to those who were negative, given that none of the occupants was tested.
Members of the public have since decried the hefty charges incurred in quarantine facilities, with reports of several persons escaping from the centres over the recent weeks.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe issued a warning to Kenyans, urging them to strictly adhere to the safety measures advised by the government or risk being quarantined at their own cost.
