Sierra Leone Telegraph: 20 December 2014
Tonight, unconfirmed, though reliable reports from Freetown, say that one of the Koroma government’s most powerful parliamentarians – Osho Williams, who represents Constituency 107 in the capital Freetown, is suspected to have contracted the Ebola virus.
Osho Williams is believed to be seriously ill and has been removed from his home in Dundas Street, and taken to the Kerry Town treatment centre.
If proved to be Ebola positive, it will seriously and literally bring the entire parliament into chaos, as the quarantining of every single member of the country’s parliament may become absolutely necessary.
There are 112 MPs in the country’s parliament and 12 paramount chiefs, all of whom are now back at their respective constituencies, following president Koroma’s call for them to go and sensitise their constituents about Ebola.
Mr. Osho Williams is one of the most popular and affable politicians belonging to the ruling APC party.
He is also a strong grassroots politician, who has been at the forefront of the Ebola sensitisation programme, especially in the slum communities of Freetown.
If Osho Williams, who has been attending parliament regularly, until it was this week closed for the two weeks ‘door to door Ebola search operation’ announced on Wednesday by the president is proved Ebola positive, then Sierra Leone’s establishment is in deep trouble.
On Thursday, veteran doctor Victor Willoughby died of the Ebola virus, after a very short illness, bringing the total number of doctors to have died of Ebola to eleven.
Osho Williams represents a constituency, comprising of some of the most deprived communities in the capital including Kroo Bay, Susan’s Bay, and several other slum communities, which are believed to be highly infested with the Ebola virus.
But there are speculations tonight as to whether Osho, who regularly travels to the UK for health reasons may have recently been treated in Freetown by Dr. Victor Willoughby, who died of Ebola on Thursday.
Since the death of Dr. Willoughby, there have been calls for a concerted action to trace all those who may have come into contact with Dr. Willoughby in the last two weeks, including his patients and staff working at his clinic.
But so far, there are reports that the ministry of health has not taken this necessary action, which is now causing confusion and anxiety among many across the political class, as well as Freetown’s socialites.
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