This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
On June 30, 2020, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi confirmed that two members of the House had tested positive for Covid-19.
According to Speaker Muturi, one of the lawmakers had already been discharged from the hospital after testing negative in repeated tests and was in self-quarantine at home.
The other lawmaker was in a stable condition and had been transferred to the general ward.
However, the names of the two lawmakers and the hospital where they were receiving treatment were not made public, as Speaker Muturi maintained that medical details of individual MPs were confidential.
"I wish to note that far from the speculations reported in the media and elsewhere, information available to the office of the Speaker indicates that we have two cases of the virus that have been reported among Members of Parliament," Mr Muturi said.
He urged the media to stop sensationalising the cases in Parliament, saying they were no different from the rest of the cases in the country.
The National Assembly had developed stringent guidelines to safeguard members against the virus, including requiring lawmakers to sanitise and observe social distancing.
The main chamber, which normally holds 349 MPs, now held only 70 lawmakers to meet the 1.5 metres social distance requirement.
Every seat in the chamber had been marked and numbered, and MPs were not allowed to change seats or move close to one another.
Upon vacation of a seat by a member, prompt disinfection of the seat, table, electronic system, microphones and the chamber tablet was undertaken by the relevant officers before the seat was occupied again.
