This archive report was first published on 4 May 2021.
Siaya County has reported a surge in Covid-19 cases, with 34 remandees at the Siaya GK Prison testing positive for the virus as of Monday, May 3, 2021.
According to Siaya County Executive Committee Member for Health Dismas Wakla, out of 63 samples collected from across the county on Friday, 33 were from the correctional institution, with 28 testing positive.
Following a rapid test, six more people tested positive, bringing the total number to 34, Mr. Wakla revealed.
Of the infected remandees, 10 were taken to the Siaya County Referral Hospital Covid-19 Treatment Centre, while the other 24 are recuperating at the prison's isolation unit.
Prison officers have been deployed to guard the inmates in isolation, and the remandees were brought to the facility after being held in various police stations in the county.
The prison does not admit inmates until they complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Mr. Wakla attributed the rising cases of Covid-19 infections in prisons to congestion in police cells where suspects are held, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts from police and the courts to prevent the spread of the virus.
