Governors Say KEMSA Is Distributing Fake Coronavirus Kits

The Council of Governors has protested to KEMSA saying the personal protective equipment (PPE) that is being distributed to counties are fake.

According to the council, the kits are of “low quality” hence unable to protect county health workers against the deadly Coronavirus.

“The Council of Governors notes with great concern that the PPE kits that are being distributed to counties are of low quality and not able to protect health works in their line of duty,” said COG in a tweet on Thursday.

The Governors say KEMSA and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) are not testing the kits to find out their quality before distributing them to counties.

“Further, most counties have not received the PPE kits from KEMSA despite followups from the Council. We urge the national government to fast-track the distribution of these kits,” they added.

The concerns of the Governors confirm why some county health officials have been taking off every time a patient with Coronavirus-like symptoms tried to access the facilities.

On Thursday, Kenya registered its first death as a result of Coronavirus. The deceased was a 66-year-old man who had traveled from Eswatini through South Africa before coming to Kenya. He died at Aga Khan Hospital.

The number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Kenya are at 31 with the numbers expected to rise as more gets continue to be carried out. Two of the three cases confirmed on Thursday were from Kilifi County where the Deputy Governor refused to self-quarantine and roamed the county freely.

The dusk to dawn curfew imposed by the government will take effect today (Friday, March 28, 2020) with all Kenyans expected to remain indoors across the country.

Globally, the number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus stands at 532,263. The number of confirmed deaths is at 24,090 while that of recoveries has been quoted at 124,349.

South Africa is still leading with the number of confirmed cases in Africa.