REMARKS BY H.E. KIRAITU MURUNGI, GOVERNOR, MERU COUNTY
DURING THE ISSUANCE OF MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT TO COMBAT
COVID-19 ON TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2020 AT THE NEW COUNTY
OFFICES GROUNDS.

Deputy Governor
County Executive Committee Members
Government Officials
The Media Fraternity
All Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

We have come here today to deal with a very serious matter-Coronavirus.
Coronavirus is death. As of yesterday, it has killed over 170,000 people in the
world. So far 14 Kenyans have died from coronavirus. According to statistics,
Nairobi is leading with 101 confirmed cases, Mombasa 34, Kilifi 10, Kiambu 7,
Mandera 6, Machakos 6, Nakuru 5, Kisii 1, Kitui 2, Laikipia 2, Kajiado 2, Murang'a
2, Homa Bay 1, Kakamega 2, Nyamira 1, Nyandarua 2, Nyeri 1, Siaya 2, Uasin
Gishu 2, Vihiga 1, and Kwale 1.
We are extremely lucky that so far, we do not have a single case of coronavirus
in Meru. Nobody in Meru has died of coronavirus. Out of the 12 suspected cases,
10 have turned out to be negative. We are waiting for the results of the other
two. We hope and pray that they too will be negative.
It will be our great joy if no one is infected by coronavirus in Meru County. This
is our best case scenario. However, as leaders we don’t work with best case
scenarios. We must prepare for the worst case scenario. This is not easy

because we are preparing for the unknown. We don’t know how many people
will eventually test positive in Meru. We don’t know how many will die. We don’t
know how long coronavirus will be with us. We don’t know how much it will cost
us. We don’t know the final consequences.
Coronavirus will have an impact on our economy and social development. The
situation could be much worse than we think. Our people could die in thousands.
We must expect the unexpected. We should tell our people the truth. Politics,
PR and theatrics aside is that no county in Kenya has the capacity to deal with
a massive influx of coronavirus infections-not Nairobi, not Mombasa, not
Machakos, not Makueni, not Nakuru, not Meru. Our clinical preparedness is very
limited as a country.
Here in Meru, we are not able to carry out COVID-19 laboratory tests. We only
collect samples and take them to the two testing centers in Nairobi. We have
only 5 ventilators and a few oxygen machines. We have less than 20 trained
medical personnel. The isolation and treatment facilities in our public hospitals

can only accommodate 56 patients. We don’t have enough ventilators and
personal protective equipment (PPEs). They are not available in the country
because the global demand is too high.
In view of these challenges, our best and the only practical option is to prevent
infection and the spread of coronavirus in Meru. That is why we are here today.
We are here to provide you with 25,000 masks and 450 water tanks which will
be used to prevent infection and spread of coronavirus in all the 45 wards of
Meru County. This is not enough, we have to continue looking for more.
Over the last 2 months, the County Government has done a lot to prevent
coronavirus in Meru. We have trained and sensitized our health workers and our
staff, and created public awareness of coronavirus. We have set up 2 COVID-
19 isolation facilities with a capacity of 56 beds. We have created sub-county
fumigation teams which are fumigating our markets and matatu stages. We
have set up a surveillance team which does contact tracing and takes samples
from suspected patients for testing.

We have set up a County Emergency Response Committee and command centre
which implements presidential directives regarding COVID-19 issues on
continuous daily basis. We have procured PPEs, sanitizers, disinfectants, gun
thermometers, spray pumps, masks, water tanks and other accessories to help
us in this fight.
We have launched a campaign to promote good hygiene, hand washing,
sanitizing, social isolation, social distancing and decongestion rules as required
by the National Government. We are focusing on the most vulnerable groups
especially our frontline health workers, bodaboda and matatu operators, and
small scale traders in our markets.

We are aware that some of the measure we have taken like closing of schools,
bars, markets, church services, restrictions on weddings and funerals, and the
curfew have socially inconvenienced our people, and negatively impacted on
our economic activities. We are in a state of war. Things cannot be normal. We
have to make some sacrifices.
As leaders, we have to balance between fear of death from corona virus and
economic survival of our people. But when everything is said and done, our
primary duty as the Meru County Government is to save the lives of our people.
I want to appeal to all of you, to take coronavirus very seriously.
We love to talk, talk and do nothing. Coronavirus has been reduced to endless
debates. This is not the time for mere talk. This is the time to act. Let us not
play politics with coronavirus-as it is a serious matter of life and death. Let us
not take advantage of coronavirus to seek political visibility and publicity. Let us
not malign others. Give what you are giving without telling the people, "You see

I am the good one. I have given water tanks but where is the Governor? What
has he done?"
I, the Deputy Governor, and my ministers have taken salary cuts and
surrendered all our travel and training allowances to fight coronavirus. We don’t
talk about it day in, day out. Let us give what we are giving genuinely without
hidden motives. Let us not use coronavirus as an excuse to start an early
campaign for 2022.
AND let us continue praying that no one dies of coronavirus in Meru County.
Thank you.
Be safe and may God bless you all.

H.E. Kiraitu Murungi, EGH
Governor, Meru County