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COVID-19: MP narrates 42-day battle with coronavirus disease

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Dadaab Member of Parliament Mohamed Dahir Duale has told of his near-death experience from the coronavirus disease.

The MP, who is the second legislator after Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, to publicly admit of having contracted the virus says he spent 42 days in hospital.

Of the 42 days in hospital, the MP says he spent 35 in isolation while the rest was in Intensive Care Unit.

Mr. Dahir made the revelation on Tuesday during a session of the National Assembly Health Committee where Health CS Mutahi Kagwe was appearing to answer to various issues including the graft allegations at KEMSA.

The Dadaab MP cited his case as a testimony that COVID-19 is real and prevention efforts should be taken seriously.

“I want to admit that I suffered from Corona, I spent 42 days in hospital of which 8 were in ICU. I thank God for our employer the Parliamentary Service Commission for they paid my bill which amounted to almost Ksh.4 million. I wonder how other Kenyans are managing,” Dahir said.

CS Kagwe thanked the MP for disclosing his situation to show Kenyans, who are still in doubt, that the disease is serious.

“I didn’t know that it was that bad Mheshimiwa, but I thank God you are well, Kenyans need to know that this thing is real.” Kagwe said.

Earlier, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria also took to social media to reveal his 27-day experience in hospital battling COVID-19.

Kuria thanked especially the health workers for risking their lives, saying his experience has made him appreciate their efforts more.

“Not just the doctors and nurses, but even the cleaners that risk their lives daily to serve the sick,” Kuria said.

Reports have previously emerged that several legislators had contracted the corona virus but Parliament has always been keen to downplay the numbers of MPs and staff affected.

Author

Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

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