President Uhuru Kenyatta has bailed out Vioja Mahakamani actor, Gibson Gathu Mbugua, also known as 'kiongozi wa mashtaka' (prosecutor), who is in need of a kidney transplant.
Uhuru donated Ksh2 million to the actor during a fundraiser held at the Charter Hall in Nairobi on Monday, June 13.
Gathu confirmed to The Nation that the President had sent a Ksh2 million donation for his treatment.
“President Kenyatta, who is a good friend, did send his personal donation of Ksh2 million. We as a family and the committee thank him for the support,” Gathu stated.
He revealed that they are almost hitting the Ksh6 million target after getting support from local artists and Kenyans in the diaspora.
The actor stated that he will be receiving a kidney from a relative who he preferred to keep private at the moment.
Speaking on his treatment and diagnosis, Gathu revealed that his treatment had hurt his family's finances and he is hopeful that after the transplant he will resume his normal acting.
“Dialysis is expensive. Your insurance cover gets exhausted and you start spending off your pocket. You know, insurance is limited. Every day you visit, the dialysis is from Ksh10,000 and you have to go three times a week,” the actor stated.
“And they don’t pay for the third. So that has forced me to dig into my pockets and that has drained family finances. So, I saw that if I get a transplant, my life will get back to normal and I will do my work."
Gathu stated that the bulk of the Ksh6 million will be spent on post-surgery care because the drugs are expensive and he cannot afford to foot the bill.
“The anti-rejection drugs are very expensive, and there is no use having a transplant while I can’t get the drugs, which I’ll consume for the rest of my life. That’s why we need Ksh6 million for the post-care," the actor stated.
Gathu was one of the frontiers in the local entertainment scene. He became a fan favourite in Vioja Mahakamani due to his no-nonsense approach to cases, a trait that is similar to the one employed by actual prosecutors in courts.
President Uhuru has been making donations to veteran entertainers in the country who have been of help. In 2020, he cleared the hospital bill of veteran radio presenter, Leonard Mambo Mbotela, who made a public appeal on November 13, 2020.
The Head of State paid Ksh1 million of the bill in cash facilitating the discharge of the legendary media personality. The radio personality was admitted to a city hospital on October 29, 2020, and his bill had accumulated to Ksh1,105,498.78.
