This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
June 20, 2020
At least 30 police officers based at Nairobi's Kamukunji Police Station have been quarantined or isolated after testing positive for Covid-19 or coming into contact with infected colleagues.
The officers, who are waiting for test results, have been sent to various isolation centers, including Kenyatta University Hospital Quarantine Centre and Mbagathi Hospital. Their families and other colleagues have also been placed in isolation.
The police station, which has over 100 officers, has been fumigated to prevent further spread of the virus. The officers' houses have also been disinfected.
According to Director of Public Health Francis Kuria, stringent measures are in place to prevent the spread of the virus among police and prison personnel. 'We have identified isolation centers and have an elaborate contact tracing mechanism, and this is ongoing well,' Kuria said.
Prison authorities have also taken measures to prevent the spread of the virus, including releasing 11,000 petty offenders and convicts who had already served almost the entirety of their respective jail terms. Commissioner General of Prisons Wycliffe Ogalo said the suspension of visits to prison stations has also helped mitigate the spread of the virus.
US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter has been donating protective gear to the National Police Service to help prevent the spread of the virus.
