Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau
Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau with Cuban Ambassador Ernesto Gomez.PHOTO | STAR


Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau questions the country’s control of the pandemic, wonders what the billions spent accomplishments.


Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau tested positive for the virus last week and was compelled to hand over his responsibilities to political and diplomatic secretary Ambassador Tom Amollo.


"The government’s contact tracing has collapsed, there is no access to proper care and even more tragic is that there is no medical insurance cover for the virus," he wondered.



“For all the billions that have been spent on this campaign, it’s hard to imagine that at the point of contact where the disease happens, there is no system to make sure that we have access to proper care and the proper contact tracing is done to keep track of those who are not well or maybe infecting others,” Macharia said in a WhatsApp group of top government officials.

" I don't understand how the billions donated have little impact in the fight against the virus, " he added. 

The sentiments according to the Star digital could exhibit the anxiety in the management of the pandemic as the disease surges, with fears it could overrun the health system.


Several top government officials including two cabinet secretaries have been battling the disease.


Macharia said after he tested positive, he quickly informed his contacts about his condition, but to his surprise, none of them has been contacted by the government. 


“I have done my contact tracing and I have informed all the people who came in contact with me in the 10 days before my test and since. They keep asking me where to go for test and I don’t know what to tell them,” Macharia said.


“But shockingly, no one has been in touch with me about contact tracing except an NMS nurse who called on Friday out of the blue. She said she would call back and never called back again. She wanted to confirm that I was Macharia Kamau.”


Macharia said he has had malaria-like symptoms hot and cold flushes and intense dizziness as well as disorientation, although he is yet to go to the hospital.


“It’s very distressing when it’s happening and makes for great anxiety and worry,” he said.


He has not experienced any breathing problems or acute depletion of oxygen in his blood.


“What is scaring most is that if my symptoms do become life-threatening, I may not have access to proper medical care because of lack of insurance and or a facility to respond. After all, I don’t even keep a doctor as I never actually fall ill,” he said.


When Kenya announced its first case in March, the Insurance Regulatory Authority(IRA) declared it had met with all players in the industry and accepted to cover bills for patients despite the World Health Organization classifying the disease as a pandemic. But the insurers have since declined and disappeared. 


“The story of the insurance, it must be sorted out now, not tomorrow but today. Something is not right,” he said.

Post a Comment

What is your say on this

Previous Post Next Post