Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has suspended arrests made by County Askaris.
In a letter seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the governor stated that the directive was in line with the directives and guidelines issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta to prevent the spread the Coronavirus.
"I have suspended with immediate effect all the arrests by the Nairobi City County Government Inspectorate and Enforcement officers until further notice,
"This is informed by the fact that the operations of all courts of law have been suspended, hence suspects cannot be arraigned within 24 hours as provided for in the constitution of Kenya 2010," the statement reads in part.
Sonko stated that after arrests many suspects are held in the county vehicles for long periods of time before arraignment, and the environment violated guidelines on exposure to Covid-19 virus.
However, the governor stated that the departments would still remain vigilant to ensure that all the county laws are followed.
"I appeal to all the residents of and visitors to Nairobi to be cooperative and follow the guidelines issued so far, to help keep our city safe from the spread of the virus," Sonko stated.
The governor's directive follows the Judiciary's decision on March 15, 2020, to suspend court hearings for all civil cases.
Chief Justice David Maraga had issued a statement directing that only crucial cases and those picked by JSC would be tended to during this period.
"We have today agreed as follows; in compliance with the directive issued by the National Emergency Response Committee on Corononavirus, we shall forthwith scale down court activities throughout the country starting Monday, March 16, for two weeks in order to allow for further consultations and design appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus," Maraga stated
Maraga announced the immediate suspension of all hearings and mentions of all civil cases in all courts, along with all execution proceedings.
Courts will continue to handle cases of emergencies and taking pleas in criminal cases. Judges will in the meantime review deserving cases identified by prison authorities and issue appropriate revision orders in an effort to decongest the prisons.
"Judges will in the meantime review deserving cases identified by the prisons authorities and issue appropriate revision orders in an effort to decongest the prisons," Maraga pronounced.
He added that Magistrate courts across the country would undertake a review of bail terms for those in remand.
