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The Kiambu County government is racing against time to contain the spread of Cholera which has so far claimed four lives in the region.

Confirming the deaths, Governor Kimani Wamatangi said that over 280 persons had contracted the highly contagious and deadly disease in various parts of the county.

However, he said the county administration had made stringent interventions, including providing accessible clean water points, particularly in Ruiru sub-county, where there have been reports of people drinking contaminated water.

Wamatangi announced that his government had established seven water points in all the five elective wards in Ruiru constituency that will see residents fetch free clean water.

“As a matter of urgency, we are making sure that people have access to clean drinking and cooking water. This is after it emerged that several water sources, particularly boreholes in Ruiru, are contaminated and unsafe,” the governor said.

While touring various hospitals in the county, among them Githunguri and Ruiru Level 4 facility, Wamatangi maintained that other measures taken to control the disease’s spread include enough drug supply to the health facilities.

“We have established that the disease is spreading in densely populated areas like Ruiru, Juja and Thika, which often experience inadequate water supply contamination through sewerage systems,” the county chief said.

To avert the spread, he urged residents to revisit Covid-19 containment measures such as regular washing of hands using clean water, drinking boiled water, keeping their premises clean and upholding high levels of hygiene at all times.

He further pledged to upgrade the Ruiru hospital to accommodate male inpatients, besides installing more laboratory equipment for specialized care.

At the same time, the governor reiterated the need for Kiambu residents to register with the county’s universal health coverage program that will see his administration foot the NHIF contributions of the most vulnerable people.

The card, he said, will be acceptable in hospitals across all counties in the country.