A middle-aged man in Kambu area of Kibwezi on Tuesday, April 21, drowned while trying to escape from the police who were chasing after him for not wearing a mask.
According to eyewitness accounts, the man had managed to escape the police who were hot in pursuit before he accidentally slipped into a fish pond where he drowned.
The incident came weeks after the Kenyan government warned that any person caught in public spaces without a mask would be arrested and subsequently prosecuted.
On April 2, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe gave out a directive that all Kenyans were required to wear a mask at all times while in public places to curb the spread of Covid-19
"Everyone is now required to wear a mask and any person caught in public spaces without a mask will be arrested and prosecuted,'' stated Kagwe.
Ever since the government imposed a nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew, several cases have been presented to the Independent Police Oversight Authority over documented use o excessive force by the police. The cases of police abusing their power have risen as the government increases measures to control the spread of Covid-19, which commentators on the unfortunate death state could have scared the man into fleeing to his death.
While everyone was required to have a mask the public continued to lament about the high cost of the masks, with people in rural areas having to contend with choosing from having a meal and getting a mask.
Several factories were commissioned to produce easily accessible masks for Kenyans at a cheaper rate including Kitui County Textiles (KICOTEX) and Homa-Bay County Industries (HACOTEX) that are set to reduce the deficit in the market.
As of Tuesday, April 21, Kenya had 296 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with the government instituting stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus.
''The government is facing a challenge of mass testing as we are currently having a global shortage of nose swabs, therefore am encouraging citizens to be extra vigilant and help the government tame the spread of this disease,'' CS Kagwe stated on Monday, April 21.
