A man who died mysteriously in his house in Magongo, Mombasa county, on Wednesday last week, did not have Covid-19.
The death and subsequent actions by police and public health officers caused panic among family, friends and neighbours who suspected it might have been a case of the coronavirus.
However, samples taken from the body by public health officers on Friday tested negative for the virus. This came as a relief for family members who said there was already suspicion among relatives and neighbours.
“I called to inform you that we have the results from the doctor. It is negative,” Vincent Wambulwa, the deceased's uncle, told the Star on Monday.
He said the anxiety among neighbours, church members and some of the relatives over the suspicion exposed them to stigma.
“We are glad we can now confidently announce that John did not die of the coronavirus disease. Hopefully, the stigma that we had started facing will cease,” Wambulwa said.
However, the family will never know what killed their loved one. This is because pathologists said they would not conduct a postmortem on Mabonga’s body.
“The doctor told us at this time they do not conduct postmortems because of the risks involved. They are afraid despite the test results turning negative for Covid-19,” Wambulwa said.
“We will have to bury our son without knowing exactly what killed him.”
Burial arrangements are ongoing. Neighbours said Mabonga, 42, entered his house at Kwa Hola area of Magongo at around 6.45pm Wednesday.
He was heard talking on the phone at around 8pm and never came out again.
They suspected something was wrong when by Thursday evening he had not opened his door. His phone wasn’t going through anymore.
They broke the door and found his body lying in bed, with blood oozing from his head.
Fear and confusion between police and public health officials led to the body of Mabonga staying overnight until Friday afternoon when it was finally taken to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary by public health officers in hazmat overalls.
Mabonga left behind a widow and a son. His secondborn child died in March and was buried in Taita.
Edited by Henry Makori
