This archive report was first published on 20 July 2020.
Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja has resigned as Chairperson of the Senate Adhoc Committee on Covid-19 Response after breaching Covid-19 containment rules.
On Friday night, Sakaja was arrested by police for breaking curfew rules and inciting others to defy police orders at a Nairobi club.
He was granted police bond on Saturday morning but failed to show up at Kilimani Police Station, prompting police to try and call him, but his phone was switched off.
Police officers then visited his house, where they found his car parked and his mobile phone inside, leading them to suspect that he was hiding.
On Saturday night, Sakaja was holed up at the home of a senior civil servant in Karen to evade arrest.
He later resigned as Chairperson of the Senate Adhoc Committee on Covid-19 Response and apologized for breaching Covid-19 containment rules.
“I take full responsibility for having flouted Covid-19 rules on Friday. I was outside my home after 9 pm and that is against the [Covid-19 containment] rules. It is regrettable but all of us make mistakes,” Sakaja told reporters.
He will appear in court on Tuesday to answer to charges of breaking Covid-19 rules.
