This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
Siaya County in western Kenya has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases, with five people currently in quarantine at the Siaya Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in Bondo.
The individuals were part of a 12-person entourage that accompanied the body of a woman who died of Covid-19 at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. The body was brought to Lela village in Simur, Ugenya for burial on May 15, 2020.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe confirmed that seven members of the entourage had tested positive for the virus, with five of them currently in quarantine at KMTC. The two Tanzanian nationals who were arrested for illegally entering the county are also undergoing quarantine.
Siaya County Commissioner Michael Ole Tialal stated that the five individuals in quarantine are awaiting their test results, while the Tanzanians will be charged in court once they are released from quarantine.
Additionally, the County Commissioner confirmed that the isolation unit in Bondo, which was under construction, is now ready to hold ten patients. The seven individuals who tested positive have already been transferred to the isolation unit in Bondo sub-county hospital.
Health Executive Dorothy Owino noted that the seven positive cases are already being treated at the isolation unit in Bondo.
Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe expressed his disappointment at the situation, stating, "It is sad that someone signed the document that allowed mourners to travel all the way. There is a reason for cessation (of movement). This vehicle was inspected by police all the way from Kibra to Siaya,"
