Nakuru County is mourning the loss of yet another senior government official to Covid-19 complications.
County Health Chief Officer Samuel King’ori succumbed to Covid-19 while undergoing treatment at The Nairobi Hospital, becoming the second high ranking Nakuru official to die of the disease after Governor Lee Kinyanjui’s Deputy Director of Political Affairs Rtd Sen Sgt Wilfred Chebochok, who died on March 16.
Mr King’ori, the man who has been at the centre of the fight against Covid-19 in Nakuru since its outbreak in March 2020, died on Thursday after battling the virus for about a week.
Governor Lee Kinyanjui, who announced the death, sent a message of condolence to his family. He described Mr King’ori as a hardworking, dedicated and selfless officer.
“We are saddened to announce the passing on of the Chief Officer in charge of Public Health, Mr Samuel King’ori. He had been hospitalised for the last few days with Covid-19 complications. This is a big blow to the Nakuru County executive office where he discharged his duties with diligence and commitment throughout his tenure,” said Mr Kinyanjui.
“Mr King’ori was a ‘General’ in the fight against Covid-19 in Nakuru County. He mobilised, trained and coordinated the public health workers in the face of the pandemic, with amazing outcomes in all fronts,” added the governor.
Sources from The Nairobi Hospital confirmed that the top Nakuru County health official had been battling the virus for nearly two weeks.
“Nakuru County Health Chief Officer Samuel King’ori has been in hospital for more than a week, after he developed Covid-19 related complications. He was taken to the intensive care unit days ago,” the source told the Nation .
Transformed health sector
Mr King’ori previously served as the county public health director before taking over as the Chief Officer Public Health in December 2019.
Mr King’ori, a public health and sanitation specialist, had served as the county health chief officer for three years.
He is credited with transforming the Nakuru health sector through a strategy that resulted in the upgrade of service delivery and infrastructure.
His successes saw him being picked by Governor Kinyanjui in 2019 to lead in the transformation of the health sector.
