Governor Mbarire Denies Infant Deaths Amid Hospital Blackout
The governor of Embu, Cecily Mbarire, has denied reports that five infants perished at the Embu Level 5 Hospital as a result of Friday night’s nationwide blackout.
Saturday, activist Boniface Mwangi posted screenshots of messages purportedly from a father who had lost a child at the facility. The father provided what he claimed to be a mobile money payment receipt for a hospital burial permit.
However, in a Saturday social media post, Governor Mbarire characterized the report as “not only misleading but also false.” She reported that only one premature infant had died at the facility within the previous 48 hours.
“There were twenty deliveries, including eight C/Ss. All of the infants are in perfect health. “Because the hospital has five operational backup generators, the nationwide blackout did not affect hospital operations,” she wrote on Facebook.
ALSO READ: KPLC & Lake Turkana Wind Power Clash: Blackout Blame Game
“Therefore, the public is advised to disregard such misleading and alarming posts that are not supported by facts. We invite Boniface Mwangi to verify this information in person or by contacting the Department of Health.
Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and commercial services were paralyzed for 12 hours on Friday due to the 12-hour blackout.
In response to the incident, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen fired Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Managing Director Alex Gitari and General Manager Project and Engineering Services Fred Odawo.
In the interim, Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) and Kenya Power (KPLC) have traded accusations regarding the blackout.
While KPLC blamed the power supplier for the mess and said it dispatched engineers to the wind farm to ascertain the cause of the blackout, LTWP claims in a statement that it was not generating electricity at the time.
LTWP, in what it refers to as social media reports and eventually looping in KPLC, asserts that its system autonomously shuts down to prevent damage to an already overcharged national grid, thereby exonerating itself of responsibility.
Governor Mbarire Denies Infant Deaths Amid Hospital Blackout
