• Saburi praised the government’s effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
• He is fighting a court case for knowingly spreading the disease after he failed to self-quarantine upon his return from a trip to Germany.
Kilifi Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi has made his first public appearance since he was taken to forced quarantine and subsequently charged.
Saburi on Monday accompanied Governor Amason Kingi to the official opening of a maternity unit and theatre at Bamba subcounty hospital in Ganze.
Saburi praised the government’s effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
He is fighting a court case for knowingly spreading the disease after he failed to self-quarantine upon return from a trip to Germany.
The deputy governor who addressed the public for the first time since he recovered urged residents to adhere to government directives to flatten the curve.
“I am here to support the fight against the coronavirus. I have officially resumed work and I will do the job the governor will assign me. I will assume duties as I have always done. I will stand in for the governor to relieve him of the burden he has had to bear while I was away,” Saburi said.
Kingi said the greatest challenge in fighting against the coronavirus is stigma, which he said is worse than the virus.
“You all know what the deputy governor went through. This is not the best time to start pointing fingers at people who got the disease and recovered. Once one is declared to have recovered, we need to welcome them back and work with them. They need our psychosocial support,” Kingi said.
The governor said due to the stigma attached to Covid-19, many people were keeping away from health facilities for fear of contracting the disease.
He urged residents to make use of the facility.
“We are currently staring at a disaster because people do not want to come to hospitals for fear the facilities could be infested with the virus. These facilities are safe because medical personnel take all necessary precautions including fumigation to keep the virus away," he said.
"It is sad to note that people have gone back to delivering at home without the care of professional midwives. Please visit hospitals for any services.”
The construction of Bamba maternity and theatre started in 2014. The launch of the project means expectant mothers will no longer have to travel to Kilifi county hospital for services. It is about 55km from Bamba to Kilifi.
Edited by Henry Makori