Speculation is rife over the health of several legislators, after a report aired on Tuesday evening, April 7, claimed that at least 20 of them had tested positive for Covid-19.
According to the report aired on KTN News, the honourable members in question are believed to have contracted the virus during a trip to the UK.
However, Speaker of the Senate Kenneth Lusaka, during an interview on the same day, stated he could not confirm nor deny the reports that have since gone viral.
"You know testing was voluntary and this is very confidential. The doctors give results to individual members who went for testing. I can only talk about myself because I did the testing here plus my security and my family. I know my results. I am negative.
"But for the rest of the members who have done the testing, they are being given their results as individuals, so the only person who would know is the individual who was tested and the Ministry of Health. I cannot speculate nor say that this has happened," he articulated.
Counter argument
His counterpart in the National Assembly, Speaker Justin Muturi, dismissed the report, branding it as a fabrication.
“It is not true. Results are given to individual members,” he told the Daily Nation.
Another report by People Daily placed the figure of MPs who tested positive at 17.
BBC Africa journalist Ian Wafula stated that he received the contentious information from a legislator who preferred anonymity.
"17 MPs and senators in Kenya test positive for Covid-19. Some while on trips abroad and others through local transmissions/interactions. Source: MP; identity withheld," reads the BBC Africa journalists' tweet.
Further fueling the speculations is the fact that a special sitting at the National Assembly that was slated for April 8, during which President Uhuru Kenyatta's recommendations to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, was cancelled on short notice.
Notably, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale also branded the report as fake. “I’m not aware. I think it’s a sensational story," he stated.
Duale also shared a gazette notice drawn up by the National Assembly Speaker that notified all the members that the sitting set for April 14, was still on.
"The next sitting of the National Assembly will be held on Tuesday, 14th April 2020, commencing at 2:30 p.m.," the notice dated April 7, reads in part.
Way forward?
Interestingly, during his interview, Senate Speaker revealed that they were currently looking into using technology to transact house business.
"After consulting with my colleague in the National Assembly, we said maybe we put also on hold the plenary sessions so that we then look at how we can transact business using new technologies.
We are also conscious of the fact that this Coronavirus is real, and we also want to take very serious precautions so that we don't get infected or we don't also get members affected by it," he elaborated.
Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, echoed Lusaka's recommendation and stated that it was vital that the house passes laws that allow them to conduct official business, including sittings, using the various IT tools available.
On March 30, the National Assembly submitted to the Ministry of Health a list of MPs and Parliament staff it wanted to be tested for Covid-19.
This was done following claims that over 50 legislators and Parliament staff may have interacted with Rabai MP Kamoti Mwamkale, who is currently receiving treatment after he tested positive for the virus.
Official records of the house showed that Mwamkale was present in Parliament on March 17 for approximately 19 minutes, Daily Nation reported.
The legislators lined up at the Ministry of Health voluntarily, and subjected themselves to the test, with several of the leaders coming out and declaring their results. Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr was one such legislator, and he took to Twitter to declare that he had tested negative.
