This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
As of June 19, the COVID-19 pandemic had infected over 275,300 people in Africa and killed over 7,400, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that the pandemic is accelerating on the continent.
Kenya's State House reported last week that several workers at the principal presidential office and residence had tested positive for COVID-19, adding to a growing trend of Africa's elite suffering a high infection rate of the deadly virus.
Top politicians, musicians, and business executives have tested positive for the virus in several African countries, including Algeria, South Africa, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon, and Kenya.
Notable cases include South Sudan's Minister of Information, Michael Makuei, who confirmed that more than 10 cabinet ministers had tested positive for the coronavirus, including himself.
Kenya's State House spokesperson, Kanze Dena, declined to reveal the identities of the four workers who were infected, but said President Uhuru Kenyatta and the first family are 'safe and free from COVID-19.'
"State House would also like to remind Kenyans that every person is at risk of contracting COVID-19. No one is immune to the disease," Ms Dena said.
Uganda's Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, recently self-isolated despite testing negative for the virus, citing health-recommended measures.
Outgoing Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza's death was described as a heart attack in a government statement, but speculation about the cause of his death has been fuelled by the fact his wife was flown to Nairobi three weeks ago, after reportedly contracting COVID-19.
Top Jazz legend Manu Dibango, who fused jazz and funk music with traditional sounds from his home country Cameroon, died on March 23 after contracting the virus.
Dr Alfred Odhiambo Otieno, a consultant radiologist at the University of Nairobi, attributed the rise in cases to a number of factors, including less-equipped medical facilities in Africa.
"The virus is highly infectious because it has an efficient mechanism of transmission, characterised by a long incubation period of 14 days," Dr Odhiambo said.
