Bomet County has confirmed a Covid-19 case after a man who had allegedly succumbed to diabetes, turned out to have contracted Covid-19 after test samples were sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) Kisumu.
While addressing the media on May 13, 2020, Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok revealed that the patient had travelled to the county from Nairobi and had contacts with close family members.
The man, since identified as Ernest Kosgei, aged 55 years, living in Kagawet Village, Itembe Location, was admitted at Longisa County Referral Hospital on Monday, May 4, 2020, at around 8 p.m. having been diagnosed with diabetes.
"They came home and did not say they were from Nairobi. The patient was admitted on May 4, but unfortunately, he passed on the following day.
"As his family was preparing for his burial, we got information from locals that the deceased had just come back home. He had been brought from Nairobi to Bomet," Barchok stated.
Health officers from the county were forced to halt the funeral proceedings and take his samples to Kisumu for testing and on the evening of May 12, 2020, the results came back as positive for Covid-19.
Barchok revealed that health officers from the county who had interacted with the patient were taken into quarantine, in a bid to curb further spread of the virus within the county.
Officers from the county government, the office of the county commissioner took action, tracing his family members and sending them into mandatory quarantine at Kaplong Girls High School.
The deceased had been escorted from Nairobi by his cousin only identified Geoffrey who is yet to be traced.
"In case you want to travel, or if its a must that you travel, there are laws to be followed. And once you travel, follow the given directive.
"It was so unfortunate that his family did not declare that he had travelled from another county and thus were exposed," Barchok stated.
He pronounced that his office and that of the county commissioner would take action against the cousin who aided his manoeuvre into the county.
With the confirmed case, Bomet now joins counties in the country that have recorded a Covid-19 case.
