This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
On May 6, 2020, Parliament made a significant move to alleviate the financial burden on Kenyans placed in mandatory quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of Parliament voted to quash the Sh2,000 daily isolation charges, deeming them unconstitutional. This decision came as Health Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced that the government would cover the quarantine costs.
The waiver applies to individuals placed in quarantine due to being in contact with COVID-19 patients, but excludes those who were forced into isolation for violating social distancing rules and the dusk-to-dawn curfew.
According to the Ministry of Health, infected individuals and those in contact with them were required to undergo a minimum 14-day isolation period in public facilities or high-end hotels. The daily charges covered expenses such as doctors' fees, sanitation, and cleaning.
MPs argued that the government's decision to impose daily charges on Kenyans placed in quarantine was unfair, especially considering the Sh40 billion allocated to fight the pandemic.
A human rights organization had previously sued the government over the daily charges, citing that many Kenyans are poor and cannot afford to pay the fees.
