Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya on Monday, March 23, announced that he would get tested for Covid-19.
This is after the governor interacted with officers who had recently travelled to Italy, a country that has been severely affected by the pandemic.
Further, Oparanya stated that the officers, who had taken the trip to outsource water equipment needed by the county, had not self quarantined immediately after coming home.
"We had three officers, our own officers who travelled to Italy and they came back nearly one and a half weeks ago. Unfortunately, they were not quarantined.
"So we have directed those three officers to self-quarantine immediately and they should also be tested. I also interacted with them and I will also go and get tested but let us wait for the tests," Oparanya stated.
The three may face arrest for defying the government's directive that anyone who arrives the Country should self-quarantine.
President Uhuru Kenyatta while addressing the nation on Monday, March 23, vowed that the government would take action against anyone who violated rules stipulated by health officials.
“The government will take the severest action against any individual who is in breach of the regulations provided by the Ministry of Health and ends up putting the population at risk,” he stated.
Additionally, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) issued a statement affirming out that any individual deemed guilty of passing on infectious diseases to others knowingly would be ordered to pay a fine of Ksh30,000, or serve a 3-year prison sentence, or both according to the Public Health Act Cap 242.
So far, there are 16 confirmed cases of coronavirus patients in the country with several others isolated at Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi.
