Former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has opened up on the heavy lifting he had to do while steering the country through the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated him to make frantic late-night calls.
Speaking during an interview on Monday, Mutahi Kagwe narrated that the experience was draining and necessitated the then leadership to have sleepless nights.
According to Mutahi Kagwe, he would text the President and other leaders in hopes of receiving a reply in the morning, but the replies would come almost immediately, revealing that they were also awake.
Kagwe explained that during the Pandemic, he would spend sleepless nights agonizing over the fate of Kenyans in comparison to what was happening to other countries.
“When you see certain things, you can not catch a wink of sleep because you are uncertain of when such deaths could befall your country,” stated Kagwe
Further, Kagwe detailed that during the time, communication with other leaders on matters related to COVID-19 was a difficult endeavor as it required making very difficult decisions.
“In a certain instance, we had to explain to Governors via Zoom calls, that they would have to allocate land for the burial of COVID-19 victims, and they would tell us they do not want to hear about those matters”, explained Mutahi Kagwe.
However, he heaped praises on former President Uhuru Kenyatta explaining that he was a leader who listened to his people hence Kenya’s success in combating the virus.
In an intriguing sentiment, the former Minister admitted to being shaken by the effects of the pandemic despite putting on a brave face.
This comes at a time when Kenya's health sector is experiencing near-paralysis due to the ongoing doctors' strike.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has been widely criticized over the way she has handled the strike this far with several leaders including some from Kenya Kwanza demanding for her sacking from the crucial docket.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has already filed an impeachment motion in Parliament seeking to kick out Nakhumicha.
