This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
Kenya's National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has confirmed that two members of the House have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to a communication from the Speaker to the House on Tuesday, July 2, 2020, one of the lawmakers has already been discharged from the hospital after testing negative in repeated tests and is currently in self-quarantine at home.
The other lawmaker was in a stable condition and had been transferred to the general ward as of yesterday.
However, the names of the two lawmakers and the hospital where they are receiving treatment have not been made public, as Speaker Muturi maintained that medical details of individual MPs are confidential and should be treated as such.
"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 in reference to media reports that six MPs were infected.
"The media should stop sensationalising the cases in Parliament as though these cases are any different from the rest of the cases in the country," he said. "Going forward, we will endeavour to ensure that Parliament and all the users are safe-guarded from the disease through continuous collaboration with the Ministry of Health".
The National Assembly has developed stringent guidelines to safeguard members against the virus, including requiring lawmakers to sanitise and observe social distancing, and limiting the main chamber to 70 lawmakers to meet the 1.5 metres social distance requirement.
Every seat in the chamber has been marked and given a number, and MPs are 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 is undertaken by the relevant officers before the seat is occupied again.
