KEMRI director Kamau Mugenda laid to rest

KEMRI Corporate Affairs Director Kamau Mugenda who succumbed to COVID-19 has been laid to rest.

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He was buried at his Weru Home in Muruaki Scheme Kinangop Sub-County on Wednesday in strict adherence to Ministry of Health guidelines.

“Our sincere condolences are extended to family and friends of the late Kamau Mugenda and all those who have lost their loved ones,” Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said.

Speaking during a Press briefing in Nairobi, Dr. Mwangangi said Kenyans have lost an astute health worker.

Mr. Mugenda died on August 9, 2020 after having served as the Director of Corporate Affairs at KEMRI since April 2017.

“He was an exemplary worker who will be remembered for human resource development, automation of the institute’s processes, implementation of the ERP system and infrastructural development,” she said.

The late Mugenda leaves behind a widow Anne Wangeci Kamau and two children: Roselyn Bayu Kamau and Charlene Wanjiru Kamau.

Kenya has so far recorded a total of 28,104 cases of coronavirus, 456 deaths from the disease and 14,610 recoveries.

In early July, the ministry of health announced that 257 health care workers had tested positive for COVID-19.

A few weeks later, Director General of Health Dr. Patrick Amoth announced that 19 health care workers and 22 support staff had tested positive at the Pumwani Maternity Hospital in Nairobi.

With the increase in coronavirus cases in the country, access to safe health care has been a challenge to both those seeking the services and health care providers.

Since the pandemic hit Kenya in March, doctors and the nurses’ union have threatened several times to go on strike.

They say the government is not doing enough to provide protective gear to health care workers on the coronavirus front lines, especially in public health facilities.

Additional report from VOA