Covid-19: Kilifi DG Gideon Saburi resumes work

Kilifi Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi attended his first official public event on Monday after recovering from Covid-19.

He chose to issue messages of hope to residents amid spread of the virus, and lauded government efforts to flatten the curve.

He had accompanied Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi during the official opening of maternity and theatre wings at Bamba Health Centre in Ganze Constituency.

“I am going support the fight against the spread of the virus to ensure the county remains Covid-19 free. Today I shall not speak much but I am back to business and in case the governor shall assign me duties as usual, I will oblige,” he said.

Mr Saburi is still fighting a court case where the State has accused him of exposing people to the virus after he allegedly failed to quarantine himself following his return from a Germany trip.

He was arrested on April 3 by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers in Mombasa.

Mr Saburi maintains that he doubts he tested positive for Covid-19, and has moved to compel the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) to table his results.

RELIEVED

Earlier, Mr Kingi said that he is now relieved after his deputy reported back to work and that he might now take leave.

“As you know, Kilifi was the first county in coast region to report a case of Covid-19. This brought panic and shivers among residents and the county government had to move swiftly to control the spread of the virus,” he said.

However, he complained that the biggest challenge that Covid-19 patients are facing today is stigmatisation. This has seen people shy away from mass testing and seeking medical services.

Mr Kingi recently declared the county Covid-19-free following recovery and discharging of the last six patients at its isolation facilities.