Wycliffe Nyamasege
The burial ceremony of Kenyan Doctor who died in Cuba under unclear circumstances has been scheduled for Friday near their family home in Shika Adabu in Likoni, Mombasa.
Dr Ali Hamisi Juma, a brother to Likoni Member of Parliament Mishi Mboko, was found dead on Sunday, March 17 at his residence in Havana, Cuba.
Announcing the burial plan on Thursday, Hamisi Juma Kurichwa, an elder brother to the deceased, said they expect Dr Ali’s body to arrive in Kenya on Friday at 6:45am.
He noted that the family will conduct a private autopsy to ascertain the real cause of their kin’s death.
“The body of our late brother left Cuba via Amsterdam in the Netherlands… we expect it to arrive here on Friday morning,” said Kurichwa.
“As a family, we will conduct our own private post-mortem on the body, before it is buried in Shika Adabu in Likoni after Friday’s Juma prayer.”
Dr Juma, who was pursuing a Masters Degree in Medicine, is said to have committed suicide.
He was among the 50 medics sent to Cuba for further studies at the University of Medical Sciences in Havana.
Poor living conditions have been linked to his death.
According to MP Mishi Mboko, his brother had raised several complaints related to work frustrations.
The legislator revealed that Dr Ali had vowed to quit the exchange program few days before his death.
Reports indicate that the doctors have been struggling due to the high cost of living in the foreign country.
Following his death, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has asked the government to terminate deal with Cuba.
According to the KMPDU secretary general, Ouma Oluga, the programme that was going to see the government cough up Sh215 million “has proven not beneficial” to Kenyan doctors.
Dr Oluga also mentioned that the government has failed to “secure proper housing, pay promised allowances and allow the doctors to reconnect with their families.”
He said the program has left the doctors vulnerable, frustrated and in deplorable conditions.
The union also recommended that the sponsorship be provided in five local Kenyan universities offering family medicine.
Read:Death Of Kenyan Medic In Cuba Pushes Gov’t To Probe Exchange Program
In response, On Wednesday, the government announced that it had has sent a team of experts to Cuba to investigate the exchange programme in the Caribbean nation.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki noted: “I have today sent a team from the ministry to carry out the assessment of the programme that the doctors are undertaking, and document the challenges in connection with the Kenyan embassy, propose any intervention that is needed.
“With the comprehensive findings, we will be able to address and clear the air on what has been flying around and speculated on social media. I will be able to give a comprehensive press statement on matters Cuba when my team comes back with the facts,” Ms Kariuki stated.
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