This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 15, 2020, a 33-year-old Covid-19 patient, Isaac Sigei, was buried in his home village in Lemotit, Kipkelion East constituency, after succumbing to the disease at Machakos County Hospital.
The burial ceremony, overseen by public health officers, lasted under 45 minutes and adhered to strict Covid-19 protocols, including face masks, social distancing, and handwashing.
Isaac Sigei, a former machine operator in a Nairobi-based company, had been admitted to Shalom hospital in Athi River before being transferred to Machakos County hospital, where he passed away.
His brother, Robert Bii, expressed concerns over how his brother contracted Covid-19, stating that he was asthmatic before falling ill.
Dr. Betty Langat, chairperson of the Kericho County Surveillance team, allayed fears that the deceased came into physical contact with family members in Kericho, assuring that there was no reason for panic.
Former Roads Cabinet Secretary Franklin Bett, who is also the proprietor of Kericho's Siloam Hospital, expressed disappointment over the increasing 'don't-care-attitude' towards Covid-19 in the county.
Bett called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to reconsider reintroducing travel restrictions to curb the Covid-19 spread, citing the alarming increase in cases from less than 100 to up to 500.
Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony, however, stated that his administration was ready to 'face Covid-19 head-on' and had taken measures to combat the disease, including partnering with the United States government-funded Walter Reed Project Laboratory Center to conduct medical samples locally.
The county has also set up well over 300 isolation beds, 13 ICU beds, and more than 2,000 quarantine beds, with four Covid-19 patients currently admitted at the Kericho County hospital and four others recuperating at home.
