Nyamira county Governor John Nyagarama succumbs to Covid-19 at a Nairobi hospital aged 74, family says.
The late Nyangarama had diabetes as an underlying condition and has been in ICU for weeks before being moved to HDU early last week.
Nyangarama was taken to the hospital three weeks ago when he tested positive for coronavirus. He was immediately admitted to the Covid-19 ICU as he required a lot of oxygen.
“He was a patient on increased oxygen demand. He stayed in the Covid-19 ICU under the care of doctors and nurses who are dealing with the coronavirus cases,” a source familiar with the governor’s treatment said.
After 21 days of being managed by medics, a final test was done on him last week. It came out negative.
Doctors reportedly recommended that Nyagarama be transferred to the normal ICU to proceed with close medical monitoring as his lungs had suffered multiple failures.
The second-term governor and former long-serving Kenya Tea Development Authority director is among many other leaders who have contracted coronavirus and ended up in hospital.
Nyamira county secretary James Ntabo on Tuesday said Nyagarama was recuperating at the hospital.
“Governor John Nyagarama is recuperating well. Let the media, including users of social media, learn to practise responsible journalism. They should be fair to the family and friends of the governor, including the employees of the county government, and pray for his quick recovery,” Ntabo said in a statement.
Governor’s press service deputy director Kefa Miller, on the other hand, said Nyagama was on a routine medical check-up.
“The governor who has been on a routine check-up at The Nairobi Hospital is stable. We are calling upon the members of the public to be calm,” Miller said in another statement.
The now late governor was first elected in 2013 on an ODM ticket and reelected in 2017 on the same party.
