Kiraitu Murungi believes that Corona should not be seen only in a negative way. When he was diagnosed as Corona virus positive, it turned out to be one of the most interesting and rewarding moments of his life.
For the first time in several years, he found himself alone, contemplating his life and future.
Without any outside interferences, he appreciated the warmth, affection, and friendship of his wife Priscilla, children, and close family members.
Like most ordinary Kenyans, Kiraitu Murungi had time to learn, watch TV, and track politics on social media.
Kiraitu Murungi took some time to reflect on his political life and patch up some loose ends in his mindset.
His contact with corona was completely unforeseen. It was a terrifying experience. Corona was no longer just a matter of statistics and emotional debates.
It was now all about Kiraitu Murungi and whether or not he would survive. His entire life, home, job, and his future were all put at risk at the same time.
Weak And Useless
Nothing really mattered to him at this stage. Corona had cut him off from the rest of the world. It made the governor inactive. He felt helpless and ineffective.
The coverage of Magufuli’s funeral services on television just served to remind Kiraitu Murungi of the prospect of dying.
The governor had kept his distance from Corona because he had always told the people of Meru to wear masks, wash their hands, stop shaking hands, and maintain social distance.
In both of his public appearances, he wore a KN95 mask. I’d taken three Covid-19 samples, both of which had come out negative.
Kiraitu Murungi didn’t have all of the typical Covid-19 indications. There was no coughing, sneezing, or fever. I felt reasonably safe.
He had no idea that he would eventually become one of those statistics and undergo three stages of Corona cycle.
The First Phase
Denial characterized the first stage. Mentally, declined to admit that he was ill.
The Meru governor pushed himself to work until he was unable to do so any longer. He was very tired, had a headache, was confused, and felt generally bad, but he didn’t think it was Covid-19.
He managed to get by for over a week on over-the-counter medications like Panadols, Claritin, and Augmentin.
With trouble, Murungi continued with his usual action-packed days. Besides that he remained feverish, painfully weak, with a sore throat, headaches, and mental confusion.
He didn’t have the typical Covid-19 symptoms like coughing or sneezing, but he was incredibly sleepy and had serious back pain.
To put it another way, Kiraitu wasn’t entirely himself. He simply moved and compelled his body to perform.
Murungi received the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 9th.
Despite the poor health, he had to persuade the people of Meru that the vaccine was “pure.”
As a leader, it was his political responsibility to instill trust in the vaccine.
Astrazeneca Vaccine
Hot temperatures, diarrhea, and a mild headache were said to be side effects of the vaccine, and that they would go down after a day or two.
That night, the governor had a fever, a headache, and very high temperatures. He expected them to vanish the next day, but they didn’t. The side effects persisted.
Extreme exhaustion, headaches, a sore throat, and mental confusion continued unabated.
His self-administered antibiotics, Claritin, and Panadols were ineffective as well. He was in a lot of discomfort and distress.
Deep down, Kiraitu was also persuaded that much of this was due to the AstraZeneca vaccine’s ongoing adverse effects, which will fade over time.
He remained indoors on Saturday, March 13th, at his home in Nkubu, feeling feverish, tired, and confused.
His wife arrived, and the next day, they traveled to Nairobi.
Murungi’s wife’s 60th birthday had been planned as a pleasant celebration by our children. He had a tough time “surviving” the party feeling deeply exhausted and drowsy.
He had to decide on cutting the cake early so that he could relax in his apartment. On Monday, March 15th, He saw a doctor who prescribed multiple tests, including a Covid-19 test.
Results Turn Negative
Despite the fact that the Covid test came back negative, the flu, nausea, and high temperatures continued.
Priscilla had to rush her husband to Aga Khan Hospital at 3 a.m. because of high temperatures that had risen to 39 degrees Celsius.
Nothing was discovered during the hospital examinations.
Ironically, the temperature remained average at 37 degrees Celsius.
So they went back home. Dr. Kiraitu, the brother, came to see them at home on Tuesday the 16th and found Kiraitu in an awful condition.
He was still drowsy and wished to be left alone to nap.
Dr. Kiraitu dialed Dr. Mwongera’s number and made an appointment for his brother to be taken to Nairobi Hospital the next day.
Nairobi Hospital Tests
He had a variety of scans done at the hospital, including a malaria antigen screen, blood culture, stool and urine analysis, an ultra-sound, a head and lungs CT scan, and, of course, Covid-19.
The scans came back the next day, and he was diagnosed with Covid pneumonia.
Acceptance and recovery became the next steps in Kiraitu’s Corona cycle.
He was given hope by the doctors, but he could see they weren’t certain. They were giving it their all.
Consultants, surgeons, nurses, and the medications they recommended were all included in this scientific and medical process.
The governor became fatalistic, expecting the worst.
Vitamin D 360k, Zinc Remdesivir, Parafusiv, Ivermectin, Dexamethasone, Chlorhexidine, Xarelto, and Novarapid were among the medications he was prescribed.
The nurses were on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Funeral Of Magufuli
For six days, they measured his oxygen uptake, temperature, blood sugar, and blood pressure every two hours. Nothing really mattered to him at this stage.
Corona had cut him off from the rest of the world.
It made him inactive. He felt helpless and ineffective. The coverage of Magufuli’s funeral services on television just served to remind Kiraitu Murungi of the prospect of his own death; his final departure from this planet.
Magufuli was given a fitting send-off. What will be the best way for him to leave?
He kept asking himself the same question. “Is this my unceremonious departure from the world?”
Murungi kept hoping that he wouldn’t die until he turned 70 in 2022.
At the very least, he would have reached the biblically recommended age.
His phone was flooded with get-well texts, SMS messages, and WhatsApp messages from relatives, acquaintances, coworkers, political allies, and even political enemies.
Corona was the catalyst that got them together.
When you get ill or die, you become everyone’s mate all of a sudden.
Kiraitu Murungi
Facebook Posts
However, some Facebook posts said he was in ICU and others said he was gone.
It didn’t matter because he was still alive. Since he was discharged, he was able to read the most of the goodwill letters.
His workers told him that Meru’s churches and clergy had arranged prayers for him.
God will restore my health and cure my wounds, according to one post, and I would go out “leaping like calves freed from the stable.”
Kiraitu Murungi
On Monday, March 22nd, their prayers were answered when he was released to resume his care at home, but he was still not out of the woods.
He was still Covid positive on the test, but wasn’t in much distress.
Dr. Mwongera, his brother Dr. Miriti, Dr. Silverstein, and the team of doctors and nurses who conducted the scientific miracle are responsible for his survival.
You Cannot Defeat Death
Even Lazarus, who had been resurrected from the dead, died again. The third Corona cycle was more welcoming.
Although he was already optimistic, he was alone at home.
His medicines were continued to be administered by a home-care nurse, who checked his oxygen, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels every three hours.
It was painful for to sleep on his stomach with oxygen tubing in his nostrils at first, but after a week, Kiraitu became used to it.
The best part about this stage was that the pain, exhaustion, fever, and confusion were all gone.
Life was nearly normal except for the isolation at home and the constant interruptions by the nurse.
The Shortness Of Life
Corona’s third phase was one of the most artistic, inspiring, and revelatory periods of his life. He read some fascinating history and philosophy materials.
He recently read a booklet by SENECA, a Roman philosopher, titled “ON THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE,” in which he concluded that our lives are not short; we only waste them with meaningless activities.
He demonstrated how we allow our lives to be “stolen” by others, and how we devote our lives to meaningless tasks driven by insatiable desire for money and power.
He illustrated how political expectations, self-imposed servitude, and a life of display wear out politicians.
And from ourselves, we have become estranged and disconnected. We’re still on stage, trying to make an impact and gain approval from others.
We live a life full of deceptions. We’re too afraid physically to think and act on our own. He was saddened by the fact that we had lost our individuality and independence.
A Life Of Fear
And our feelings and voices aren’t truly ours anymore. We live in constant fear of what others will think or feel about us, and we live in constant anticipation.
We’re still listening to rumors and scanning the national landscape in order to stay politically right and on the winning page.
The Corona break provided him with a chance to reflect on his own political path. Politics had taken away his livelihood and his ability to talk.
It had taken away his ability to think freely at times.
He had become obsessed with winning. In doing so, he had advocated and fought for ideas and anxieties which were not genuinely his own. He had given in too much to political and social expectations of others.
He would have died alone if he had died of Corona. Without him, all of the political commotion will continue. I made the decision to value myself and take back control of his life.
From now on, he will fulfill his heart’s wishes. He’d tune out all the background noise, friendship’s psychological pressures, and political values.
In the remaining years of his life, he, too, has a profound responsibility to live a peaceful and decent life. He told himself that he would fulfill his goals without needing anyone’s permission.
Corona is to be thanked for assisting him in discovering himself and releasing him from the clutches of others.
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