Siaya residents have been urged to forget the usual burial rites for now as the country battles to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna and Health ministry acting director general Patrick Amoth said it is not business as usual because all Kenyans have to play their part in preventing the spread of the virus.
Oguna said the coronavirus has affected all aspects of life across the world and Siaya residents should adhere to the government directives in regard to burials.
Addressing journalists in Siaya, Oguna said as “a son of the soil”, he understands the significance of burial rites in Nyanza but at the moment, residents should not act as if all is well.
"The whole world is fighting a virus that knows no culture or someone's status in the government," Oguna said.
He said the Ministry of Health has set aside burial modalities that every community should observe until the war on coronavirus is won.
"The body of someone who dies of Covid-19 has the potential to spread the virus to anyone without proper protective gear," he said.
Oguna said if residents fail to adhere to the Ministry of Health guidelines, the virus will be uncontrollable and will lead to a disaster.
"We don't want a situation where the virus will overwhelm us like in other countries where bodies are picked from the streets," he warned.
Amoth said the war on Covid-19 needs concerted efforts and any loophole in the guise of observing burial rituals will derail the effort.
"The war on the coronavirus requires everyone to be careful at any given time," he said.
On Sunday, there was an uproar after a coronavirus victim was hurriedly buried into a shallow grave at 3am in Siaya.
Video footage of the burial shows three mortuary workers arriving in a white pick-up in Kamalunga village, Simur Kondiek sublocation, and toss the body of the Kenya Ports Authority worker into a grave.
There were no mourners, but women can be heard wailing in the background.
Edited by A.N
