This archive report was first published on 14 June 2020.
June 14, 2020
Kenya's Covid-19 burials have sparked a conversation about stigma surrounding the disease, with families of the deceased facing social isolation and trauma.
One such family is that of James Oyugi, who died from suspected Covid-19 complications in Olkalou constituency, Nyandarua County. His brother, Zack Onyango, remembers the night of the burial, which was attended by only 15 people.
“My brother was thrown into a shallow grave and the health officials buried him hurriedly. We watched in shock. They were not talking to us,” Onyango said.
Onyango's family was later whisked into a quarantine facility, where his elderly grandmother was left traumatized. The community around them has since avoided them, referring to them as the “corona family”.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe initially faulted the country for not adhering to burial regulations, but later acknowledged the need for a dignified burial. The burial of Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula's brother Anthony Waswa sparked another wave of conversation, with many calling for an end to stigma when burying patients suspected to have died of Covid-19.
Dr Pacifica Onyancha, head of directorate of preventive and promotive health, said there are still gaps to be addressed in addressing burial stigma. “We need to stop calling them Covid-19 deaths. Let us call them people and not the disease that killed them,” she said.
