The PM - with his wife Ida and close family members in tow - emerged from North wing of the hospital at exactly 11am with a radiant smile, waving at the crowd that had milled outside the medical facility to witness the event.
Clad in a navy blue suit, a white shirt, a green patterned tie and a black cap, the PM stood at the entrance and paused for a minute, before proceeding to plant a commemorative tree.
The seedlings of the tree were donated by officials from the Mau Interim Coordinating Secretariat, whose chairman Hassan Noor was present.
All this time, a group of women, clad in orange skirts and blouses and another consisting mainly of school children, clad in yellow T-shirts took turns to sing religious songs – praising the lord for taking care of the PM.
“This is the day …that the Lord has made …we will rejoice...and be glad in it,” sang the children.
As this proceeded, Mr Odinga was heard uttering the words; “I am fine…I am ok.”
He then made a short statement before boarding his official vehicle, which then snaked out of the hospital towards his Karen home, where he is expected to continue recuperating before he resumes his duties.
Said Mr Odinga; “ I just want to take the opportunity to thank the management and staff of the Nairobi Hospital – the people who have looked after me for the last six days.”
“I also would like to thank the doctors who have done all that was possible to treat me under very difficult circumstances. Prof Macharia, Dr Olunya, Dr Gikonyo, Dr Ombati and all the others who have taken care of me during this period,” he said in reference to the team of doctors that looked after him.
He went on; “I also want to thank Kenyans who have prayed for me and finally, I also want to thank my wife Ida, for standing by me in this very difficult times. I am very happy to be back. As you can see, I’m very whole. Thank you very much.”
Media briefing
He is expected to hold a media briefing at his Karen home later on Sunday, where he is expected to speak mostly on his admission in hospital and his state of health.
The Prime Minister was admitted to the hospital on Monday hours after he had presided over the clean up of the Nairobi Dam, where he looked ill and exhausted.
He was driven to the hospital by his driver, complaining of a headache and general fatigue. Doctors performed an operation to relieve pressure outside his brain.
The pressure, they said, may have been caused by the PM banging his head in his car three weeks ago.
One of his doctors – Mr Livingstone Oluoch-Olunya said the PM was suffering from a condition called chronic subdural haematoma that was exerting pressure on his brain leading to frequent headaches.
Medical experts explain the condition as collection of blood and blood clots between the surface of the brain and its outermost covering. The chronic phase of this condition begins several weeks after the first bleeding. In a chronic subdural collection, blood leaks from the veins slowly over time.
It is usually not life threatening if treated early. However, if it is not treated in good time, it can take a dangerous turn, including bouts of unconsciousness, loss of memory and coordination
Posts
Prime Minister Raila Odinga checked into Nairobi Hospital on Monday evening still hoping to watch the World Cup match between Brazil and Chile.
ReplyDeleteSince it was a feeling of discomfort that prompted him to see a doctor, he never thought it would take a long time — leave alone admission to hospital. “In fact, he released us knowing that he would not stay long at the hospital,” said his press secretary, Mr Dennis Onyango.
The doctors, however, had a different idea and admitted him at 6pm even as he resisted, officials at his office said on Tuesday. Mr Odinga had just declined a tea offer from the organisers of the Nairobi Dam clean-up exercise, the last function he had attended, and was driven to the hospital in his official car.
It was the end of a busy day, which started at his office at 8.30am, said the PM’s chief of staff Caroli Omondi and Mr Onyango. They said the PM’s first meeting was with Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o at 9am.
Prof Nyong’o briefed the PM on the strategies the ‘Yes’ campaign team was using to sell the proposed constitution to Kenyans. The minister and his Energy counterpart, Mr Kiraitu Murungi, are the co-conveners of the ‘Yes’ campaign.
Prof Nyong’o briefed the PM on strategies he and Mr Murungi had developed to bolster the campaign. Mr Odinga then met officials of the Geothermal Development Corporation, who gave him a report on the green energy initiative.
He rounded off the office meetings with organisers of the Nairobi Dam clean-up initiative. At 10.45am, Mr Odinga left for the ‘Yes’ parliamentary group meeting at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, which he co-chaired with President Kibaki.
After the PG meeting, Mr Odinga and the President had lunch with the MPs. The PM then left the function as President Kibaki prepared to brief journalists on the meeting’s deliberations.
He then went to the Nairobi Dam, where he launched the clean-up drive. It is after this meeting that he was driven to hospital and admitted after complaining of discomfort.