PS Muthoni clarifies govt decision not to announce disease outbreak in Mombasa
Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni has clarified why the government has not declared a disease outbreak in Migadini, Mombasa County, despite growing concerns over a string of mysterious deaths reported in the area earlier this month.
Speaking on Kameme TV on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, PS said that the decision not to declare an outbreak was informed by the need to avoid causing unnecessary panic before conclusive investigations were completed.
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“Many matters to do with public health are complex and many. We heard reports about the disease this week. But we cannot tell the public about it because we do not want the public to start tensing when they do not even know what the disease is exactly,” she said.
The PS says a team from the Ministry of Health was swiftly dispatched to Migadini to carry out medical surveillance, collect samples, and determine the true cause of the reported deaths.
She noted that the nature of the illness was still unknown, and it would be premature to issue definitive public health alerts without a proper diagnosis.
“You might find that it is a very small issue. So we must investigate to know the medicinal prescriptions for it,” she added.
PS Muthoni cited a previous case in Kisii County where a similar situation unfolded, and only after thorough analysis was it discovered that the outbreak had stemmed from a contaminated water tap.
She said the Kisii case taught the ministry to avoid rushing to conclusions before gathering full evidence.
“You remember there is a similar disease that once broke out in Kisii, and I had to travel there. We later saw that the disease had been brought by a water tap. The people had used the tap for a long time, and the tap had accumulated germs,” she said.
She insisted that investigations in Mombasa are ongoing and that the ministry is taking surveillance seriously, especially in the affected Migadini village.
The PS also urged the public to remain calm, stating that Kenya has the laboratory infrastructure and medical capacity to handle such incidents.
“So let people calm down. Kenya has the capability to handle such and has enough labs to handle such,” she said.
Her remarks come days after the Ministry of Health formally ruled out any disease outbreak in connection with the deaths of four individuals in Migadini.
In a statement published on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, via Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale’s official X account, the Ministry of Health clarified that all four individuals had pre-existing chronic illnesses, and there was no evidence of a mysterious illness or epidemic.
The deaths occurred between July 9 and July 14. A 91-year-old woman died at home, reportedly due to old age and chronic illness.
On July 14, three men aged 57, 69, and 55 were found dead in separate homes. Two of the bodies were in the early stages of decomposition.
Preliminary reports show the 57-year-old had been under treatment for chronic conditions at Port-Reitz Sub-County Hospital. The 69-year-old was asthmatic, while the 55-year-old had been treated for dengue fever shortly before his death.
“All the deceased had known chronic illnesses. There is no indication of a disease outbreak,” read the statement from the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre under the Ministry of Health.
“The four bodies have been transferred to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary, pending post-mortem examinations and further medical evaluation.”
“Public health officers have been deployed to monitor the area, but officials are urging calm and asking residents to avoid speculation or spreading misinformation.”
“There is no mysterious illness identified at this point. Investigations are ongoing, and findings will guide next steps,” the ministry assured.
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Steve Ireri
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