• Kagwe said state concerned and sympathise with people when they have passed away.
• The order by the Ministry of Health requires burial within 48 hours of death For people who die of the virus.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe has urged Kenyans to adjust to the new burial protocols while sending off their loved ones.
Kagwe on Friday said even though it is African nature to want a proper and precise way of burial, the new normal says otherwise.
"We are all very concerned and we all sympathise with people when they have passed away. We know that in our African culture, we want to go and say kwaheri to our loved ones and give sympathy. But we should begin to appreciate that this is no longer possible," he said.
He added, "Now, even when we lose loved ones, very painfully, we have to accept that we cannot all go and mourn. There is no reason to subject oneself, at a time of grief and tear, to humiliation by chiefs or police in executing a responsibility that they have to because of the nature of the result of a gathering".
The order by the Ministry of Health requires burial within 48 hours of death For people who die of the virus.
Burial protocol is stricter from the morgue as the morticians are instructed to observe more stringent guidelines to avoid interacting with the body.
A limit of 15 people – family are allowed to attend burial ceremony as social distancing is given major priority.
The CS also noted that people are using weddings as an excuse to crowd in venues.
"It is even shocking that some people are going around looking for weddings to attend during this period,"Kagwe said.
Speaking during the Covid-19 presser in Nairobi, he urged Kenyans to contain their wedding attendance to 15 as recommended by the State Law Office CAS Winnie Guchu.
Guchu announced the resumption of marriage services at the Office of the Attorney General on July 10 with firm restrictions.
Garden weddings have been limited to 15 people while private ceremonies at the Attorney General’s office have been allowed a maximum of four people.
Guchu announced the unveiling of a digital platform where all couples seeking to tie the knot at Sheria House in Nairobi will make all applications.
This she said will prevent congestion at the office which will in turn help avert the spread of coronavirus.
Kagwe's sentiments come as Kenya reported 20,636 after 723 more people tested positive of the virus.
Kagwe said the 723 were from a sample of 8, 679 tests done in the last 24hrs.
The cumulative samples tested now stand at 303,959 since the first case was reported in March.
Some 44 patients were discharged from hospitals within the same period bringing the total of recoveries to 8,165.
However, 16 more patients succumbed to the virus raising fatalities in the country to 341.