Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe was on Tuesday, April 28, expressed regret in the way the burial of the late James Oyugi Onyango was carried out.
In a written response to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee, the CS conceded that the late Oyugi's burial was not conducted in line with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health.
"On the way the burial of Mr Onyango was undertaken, the Cabinet Secretary stated that the guidelines issued by the ministry were not adhered to in this case," read the response.
In his submission to the Senate, Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja stated that the Cabinet Secretary should get in touch with the family of the late Oyugi and offer a private apology.
He submitted that the Ministry of Health should roll out a robust program to train and create awareness among the members of the county health teams in all devolved units, on the guidelines and protocols for handling the burial of a person who has died from Coronavirus.
"This will ensure that this does not happen again, and to address the stigma associated with coming into contact with or having a family member die from Coronavirus," Sakaja stated.
The late James Oyugi died from Covid-19 on April 10, 2020.
His burial attracted the attention of many online after a video surfaced showing two medical personnel offloading Oyugi’s body from a pick-up before throwing it into a shallow grave.
The late Oyugi, who was an employee of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) was buried at around 2:30 a.m., in a burial the public termed as disparaging.
In the video, family members could be heard crying as the medical team filled the grave with soil.
