NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 9 – The Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government is set to reactivate planned meetings including a meeting with regional and county administration officials which had been suspended in conformity with a ban on gatherings.
President Uhuru Kenyatta extended the ban on meetings which has been in place for well over a year in part of coronavirus containment efforts for an additional 6o days from August 18.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi on Thursday asked Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho to expedite plans for a retreat with regional, county and sub-county commissioners.
“We used this to our own detriment and since it doesn’t look like coronavirus is a challenge that we’re going to leave behind us we can as well find a way of getting together,” he said.
He was speaking during the launch of a Rapid Response Initiative (RRI) on substance and illicit alcoholic drinks which brought together all Regional and County commissioners and officials from National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) including the agency’s Chief Executive Officer Victor Okioma.
Matiangi’s remarks came a day after the health ministry indicated it was seeking consensus with political leaders who have been cited for flagrant violations of the ban amid heightened political activities ahead of the August 9, 2022, presidential election.
Speaking to Capital FM News on Wednesday, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi said the country is still not out of the woods hence the need to strictly follow containment rules.
“Part of our community mobilization is to actually engage politicians and to ensure that they are duty bound to protect the citizenry as they seek their votes. We are working with politicians to disseminate this information and make them more aware but definitely there will be a space for enforcement in partnership with other Ministries,” Mwangangi said.
She reiterated that the political class must come up with guidelines on how to reach their supporters without having to crowd in rallies adding that such events are super spreaders.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported 30 new COVID-19 deaths which raised the fatalities recorded since the onset of the pandemic in the country to 4,830.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the deaths were posted following audits at health facilities for the months of July, August and September 2021.
He also announced 649 new infections that were detected from 7,704 samples tested on Tuesday, raising the total caseload to 241,783. 333 patients were discharged on Wednesday recoveries to 230,095. The positivity rate stood at 8.4 per cent.
On Tuesday, members of the Interfaith Council appealed to the political leaders in the country to strictly observe the COVID-19 protocols so as to lead by example.
Interfaith Council chairman Anthony Muheria expressed concern over the surging COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country, many of them blamed on lack of adherence to the protocols.
Muheria was speaking during a meeting with Matiang’i, Kagwe and other religious leaders who met to review implementation of the measures.
“We decry the lack of alignment that we continue witnessing especially with our political class. We are witnessing huge gatherings and these gatherings we have noticed shortly after we are called to the funerals. Gatherings of people without masks should not be allowed,” said Muheria.
COVID-19 outbreak has had a huge economic impact to businesses and the livelihoods of the people in the country following the strict containment measures that were implemented by the government.
The hospitality industry, education and transport are some of the sectors affected with a study released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reporting at 47.7pc, 10.7pc and 7.8pc decline respectively in 2020.
