Five Kenyan Governors Install Expensive ICU Facilities in Their Private Homes

Five Kenyan Governors Install Expensive ICU Facilities in Their Private Homes

Five Kenyan governors are among wealthy Kenyans who have allegedly installed intensive care unit (ICU) facilities in their homes amid rising cases of Covid-19 in Kenya.

The five governors include two from the Nyanza region, two from the Coast and one from the upper Eastern region, according to People Daily.

The publication reported that one of the five governors has an underlying medical condition, which may have been the reason behind the installation of an ICU facility at his private home.

Two other governors hail from counties that were severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in April and May, which might explain the decision to set up the costly machines in their houses.

A source from one of the companies that installed the medical equipment to residences of affluent politicians and businessmen said they supplied medical gas systems, oxygen cylinders, dry air, ventilators, and patient monitors worth at least Sh10 million each.

In addition, the governors have reportedly made arrangements to have a team of medics on standby in case any member of the family is infected with the virus.

The informant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the equipment was imported from Italy and China.

Reports that some top private hospitals in the country are beginning to be overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients are said to have sent the rich into panic mode.

This week, the Nairobi Hospital admitted its isolation center is filled to capacity and the facility cannot admit more Covid-19 sufferers.

The hospital’s CEO Allan Pamba said a total of 162 Covid-19 patients were undergoing treatment at the facility, out of which 22 are in the intensive care unit (ICU).

“Over this past weekend, the management faced a big challenge to stretch the hospital’s capacity to accommodate a sudden rise in cases presenting at the Accident and Emergency department with suspected Covid-19,” said Pamba.

He noted that plans are underway, in partnership with the United Nations (UN), to set up a new 150-bed facility to hold more patients.