President Uhuru Kenyatta breached protocol when he invited Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan joho, Kwale's Salim Mvurya, and their Kilifi counterpart Amason Kingi to State House Nairobi.
President Kenyatta broke protocol for the governors when he allowed to speak from the presidential podium, a matter that is set aside for only other visiting head of states.
The president thwarted an attempt by one of the State House handlers to issue a microphone to Governor Ali Hassan Joho and directed that he addresses the nation from the presidential podium.
The same was replicated for Mvurya and Kingi, all who shared some of the challenges that their respective counties were going through since the lockdown of the counties were announced.
It is common practice that after the president is done addressing the nation, his podium is removed from the scene and any other speaker, not unless a head of state or of significant importance is allowed to speak from it.
Governor Joho advised Kenyans to take responsibility and control the spread of the pandemic.
"There is that much that your government is doing and will keep doing, but the truth of the matter is that if you looked at countries around the world, you will realize that 90 per cent of the responsibility lies with you," he stated.
He added that citizens can avoid being infected by the virus if they followed the government's directives, a matter that he insisted many at the coast were not paying attention to, thereby necessitating tougher measures.
"Our people may need a decision that calls for the addition of tougher measures. The most hurt will be the citizens, but they are also the ones with the solutions if they follow expert regulations," he stated.
Kwale County Governor Salim Mvurya echoed Joho's sentiments and urged people to be disciplined and follow government regulations for the sake of their safety and for economic progression.
He too admitted that the tourism sector, which is a key revenue earner in the region, had been affected coupled by border issues with Tanzania and expressed his hope that normalcy would resume soon.
Kilifi Governor Amason Jeffa Kingi also called for unity and action between the county and the national governments to ensure that there was a sustained fight against the pandemic, also reiterating that the buck stopped with the people.
He urged his county residents to take the regulations issued by the government in stride and in their own volition and not to wait for the police to drive their actions.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was absent from the address, despite Nairobi County being the most affected county in terms of COVID-19 numbers.
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