Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Sunday, March 29, announced that four new cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed in Kenya.
Of the four new cases; one is a Kenyan and three are foreigners from America, Cameroon and Burkina Faso.
The announcement brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 42. Kagwe addressed reporters at a press conference outside Harambee House in Nairobi.
The Cabinet Secretary further alluded to controversial comments made by Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie, accusing the lawmaker of spreading misinformation on the government's response to the pandemic.
"It is unethical for anyone, more so one purporting to be a leader, to misinform Kenyans for any reason." he asserted.
In particular, he dismissed a claim made by Kiarie that 7,000 people who flew into the country were being held in quarantine at various government facilities.
Kagwe further announced that the national government had stepped up engagement with county governments to put in place measures to ensure the country's health system is not overwhelmed.
He noted that the government was in the process of putting up an additional 1,000 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds to add onto those already existing in various hospitals.
"If in the UK, in Italy and even in America, their health facilities have been overran, isn't it realistic to imagine that that could also happen here?
"We need to think about owning this process as a government, as a community and as Kenyans. This is a Kenyans' issue," he stated.
The CS further called on employers to release their workers early to ensure they made it home in compliance with the 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
In addition, he announced plans to manufacture protective gear including masks in the country as opposed to importing them.
CS Kagwe further announced that they would continue to hire medical personnel as was necessary.
"We'll be adding an additional 1,000 workers soon but it is important to note that we do not have a shortage of medical personnel. There is a process and we will be hiring them as need arises," Kagwe noted.
