Kenya coronavirus cases rise to seven

Kenya has confirmed three more coronavirus cases, raising the total to 7, the health ministry has confirmed.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday said two of the cases were a couple that travelled from Madrid, Spain on March 4 through Dubai, arriving in Kenya on the March 5.

The third case is a Burundian national who travelled from Dubai, UAE to Kenya. He arrived on March 17 and was picked up by a surveillance team, Mr Kagwe said.

"We are tracing persons who may have been in contact with the patients," he said.

He noted that all cases so far are imported.

The tests were done by the National Influenza Centre and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri).

18 patients are currently admitted at Mbagathi. Of these, Kagwe said, 7 have been screened and are negative. Samples of 11 others are still being processed.

The government is now appealing to Kenyans to report anyone who is not self-quarantining.

"Any Kenyan traveling into the country must sign a legal form to assure the government that you will self quarantine," he said.

Mr Kagwe also stressed the importance of strict hygiene in curbing spread of the pandemic.

"Washing hands and social distancing is the key reason why Chinese cases are coming down."