This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
On July 5, 2020, Kenya's National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi downplayed fears over Covid-19 infections in parliament, stating that only two legislators had tested positive for the virus.
However, the confirmation of the two cases in parliament has put public health protocols at Kenya's seats of power in the spotlight, following infections reported in State House last month.
On June 15, State House spokesperson Kanze Dena Mararo confirmed that four State House staff had tested positive for the virus in a routine check-up, prompting enhanced alert levels, including the cancellation of all face-to-face meetings for President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Mr. Muturi dismissed media reports of up to six MPs contracting the virus as sensational, and sought to reassure the public that lawmakers and parliamentary staff were observing strict hygiene and social distancing rules.
Despite these claims, public health guidelines are being flouted by those who should be living by them.
Parliament still conducts business, with only 70 of the 349 members allowed into the debating chamber, where seats are frequently disinfected. Those aged above 58 are encouraged to work from home, and entry to the public gallery is restricted to a handful of technical staff.
Public health guidelines introduced in March include banned political gatherings and restricted emergency social gatherings, such as burials, to no more than 15. Additional measures include a dusk-to-dawn curfew and cessation of movement in and out of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area and Mombasa, which are still under lockdown.
Politicians, including the president, have tended to flout the new public health rules, holding meetings with hundreds of people in attendance or moving in and out of restricted areas.
