This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
On July 8, 2020, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe visited Makueni County, where he was met with a warm reception from top officials and health workers.
During his briefing, CS Kagwe placed CAS Mercy Mwangangi on the spot, daring her to prove that she was indeed a Kamba native. The crowd erupted in cheers as Mwangangi responded in her native tongue, saying "Ĩĩ twĩ aseo" (yes we are well).
However, Mwangangi left it at that and stepped off the stage, leaving CS Kagwe in fits of laughter and asking for a little more.
CS Kagwe was in a cheerful mood as he introduced his teams and launched various health projects in Makueni County. He also announced that the County Government of Makueni had achieved the 300-bed isolation capacity, as directed by the President.
"Currently, 257 healthcare workers have fallen victim to this virus. Four out of this number are from Makueni County," CS Kagwe stated during his address. "I want to thank all the healthcare workers for putting their lives at risk, as they manage our patients; There can never be a higher level of individual sacrifice than this," he added.
CS Mwangangi's mother, Dr Florence Muoti Mwangangi, serves as the Speaker of the County Assembly of Machakos, under Governor Alfred Mutua. Mwangangi was born in Machakos in 1986 and pursued Medicine at the University of Nairobi.
Before her nomination to the Health docket, Mwangangi had been contemplating over three job offers the night before, only for a fourth offer to come in straight from the President's office, 'you never say no to the president,' she stated.
