How Raila Odinga’s tour of the Coast became a Covid-19 super-spreader

 

It was a five-day marathon as former Prime Minister Raila Odinga criss-crossed the Coast region to popularise the proposed Building Bridges Initiative’s (BBI) constitutional changes.

The tour also afforded Mr Odinga an opportunity to touch base with a politically restive vote bloc that has for a long time been his important political base but which has lately been invaded by his political opponents and unsettled by the coast political party push.

But just days after the hectic Coast tour, and as he checked into the Nairobi Hospital on March 9 after complaining of fatigue and later on testing positive for the coronavirus, it is feared that the tour may have been a major spreader event.

Sources close to Mr Odinga who spoke to the Sunday Nation on condition of anonymity point an accusing finger to a coast ally whose family has been unwell but failed to disclose this to Mr Odinga and his party.

“Relatives of a close ally may have been positive, isolating, at the time he was in Mombasa. This information may not have been made known to the PM in good time before his interactions with the said coastal ally,” the source said.

Private office

A number of the people who accompanied Mr Odinga during the coast tour have either turned out positive or are isolating after coming in close contact with him.

At the same time, a tracing centre has been set up in a private office in Kilimani to reach out to close to 40 people who came into close contact with Mr Odinga, including his close aides.

Raila ends his coastal tour on a reconciliatory note

Homa Bay governor hopeful, Dr Evans Kidero, on Friday announced that he was suspending his political activities after coming into close contact with Mr Odinga. The former Nairobi governor was among the people who accompanied the ODM leader during the tour of the coast region.

“I spent four days with Jakom in Malindi and Mombasa last weekend, where we drummed up support for BBI. Following the news of his status and my personal responsibility to the public, I am cancelling all my public engagements listed for the weekend,” the former governor wrote on his Facebook page.

ODM director of communications, Philip Etale, yesterday announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was on home-based care.

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino were also in the Coast tour with Mr Odinga but by yesterday, it was not clear if they had gone into isolation.

At the Coast, Mr Odinga interacted with governors Granton Samboja (Taita Taveta), Hassan Joho (Mombasa), and Amason Kingi (Kilifi). There was also the Kwale Woman Representative Zulekha Hassan, Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, Kilifi deputy governor George Saburi, MPs Jones Mlolwa (Voi), Andrew Mwadime (Mwatate), Abdulswamad Nassir (Mvita) and Mishi Mboko (Likoni), among others.

Necessary precautions

Dennis Onsarigo, also an aide of Mr Odinga, and who also accompanied Mr Odinga during the tour, told the Sunday Nation that all the people who interacted with the former Prime Minister have been notified and have taken the necessary precautions.

Following the confirmation of the positive test of Mr Odinga, his close aides were tested and none turned out positive, said his personal aide, Silas Jakakimba.

“We have all done Covid-19 tests this week, Tuesday and Wednesday. Repeat tests for all close aides on Monday,” said Mr Jakakimba.

Meanwhile, Orange House, ODM’s headquarters, has scaled down operations after some staff were found positive while Mr Odinga’s office at Capitol Hill remains closed.

Mr Etale announced yesterday morning of his positive test.

“Although devastated, I remain strong, determined and in high spirits. By His stripes, I will triumph. I will be healed. Please pray for me dear friends,” Mr Etale said in a social media post.

His colleagues at the Orange House were waiting for their results which were expected by yesterday.

“Yesterday (Friday) we had almost all the staff who were present tested, including myself. We are waiting for the results which we expect should be out this afternoon,” ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna told the Sunday Nation yesterday.

The ODM secretariat, he added, is also due for fumigation before staff can return to work, though operations will be scaled down for the time being.

The Coast tour started on Monday and went on for five days. It was packed with various activities as Mr Odinga traversed the region to popularise the BBI.

But some of his close aides complained that even without the Covid-19, the “itinerary in itself was impossible.” Some events had to be dropped along the way during the tour.  He started his tour in Taita Taveta.

There, he was accompanied by Governor Granton Samboja and toured Voi and Mwatate sub-counties.

While in Voi, Mr Odinga met with the members of Taita Taveta County Assembly before he proceeded to Mwatate town for a roadside rally where he addressed citizens. He also met a group of Maasai leaders and the Cabinet Secretary for Environment Keriako Tobiko joined the meeting virtually.

Road side rally

The following day, Mr Odinga was in Kilifi where he started his rallies in Ganze before he proceeded to Malindi. He then drove to Kilifi town and greeted people by the road side and headed to Mtwapa where he also held a road side rally.

The following day, the ODM leader started his Mombasa tour where he first met with Mombasa leaders led by Joho. Also in attendance were Mombasa senator Mohamed Faki, MPs Mishi Mboko (Likoni), Abdulswamad Nassir (Mvita), Omar Mwinyi (Changamwe) Badi Twalib (Jomvu) Junet Mohamed (Suna East) and Kidero.

Mombasa businessman and politician Suleiman Shahbal and Muslim cleric Juma Ngao also accompanied Mr Odinga.

Speaking in a radio interview on Friday evening, Mr Shahbal said he took a Covid-19 test later on and his results came negative.

After the meeting with the leaders in Mombasa, Mr Odinga first held a rally at Kongowea in Nyali constituency before he proceeded for stop-overs in Tudor and Changamwe.

His mega Mombasa rally was in Likoni where more leaders including Mombasa Deputy Governor William Kingi was among the leaders present.

Mr Odinga, the next day, headed to Kwale where he had his last meeting in Samburu, Kinango constituency.

Kwale leaders including Senators Juma Boy and Agnes Zani (nominated) Woman Rep Zuleikha Hassan are some of the leaders who accompanied Mr Odinga.  BY DAILY NATION