Interior Ministry Dispels Rumors that CS Matiang’i is Battling Covid-19 in ICU

The Ministry of Interior has rebutted reports that Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Mating’i is hospitalized with Covid-19.

Reports circulated on social media on Thursday and Friday claimed that CS Matiang’i was battling the bug in ICU at a private hospital in Nairobi.

But the Interior Ministry urged Kenyans to disregard the reports, dismissing it as fake news.

“To all members of the public, please disregard the fake news and misinformation being spread on various outlets that CS Dr. @FredMatiangi is hospitalized. The claims are completely untrue,” the ministry said through Twitter.

Early this week, People Daily reported that a senior government official and two Cabinet Secretaries, a male and a female, tested positive for Covid-19.

The publication said the three were confirmed to be suffering from the illness after tests done at Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri).

“We can confirm that two Cabinet Secretaries and a senior government official have tested positive,” a Health Ministry source who sought anonymity told the daily.

On Friday, Government Spokesperson Col. Cyrus Oguna confirmed he had tested positive for the virus and is presently receiving treatment at an isolation facility. 

This came days after he had dismissed online reports that he was admitted to the hospital with Covid-19.