President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday, April 22, addressed the escape of 50 individuals who had been quarantined at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in Nairobi.
Speaking to journalists from State House, the president stated that all the 50 that had escaped quarantine would be traced, arrested and forced back into quarantine.
"Even those we saw escaping, we will get a hold of all of them and return them back to the centres.
"They will stay there until the period of quarantine is over. We know you and we will get a hold of you," the president promised.
The president reiterated that the government would not allow a few Kenyans to endanger the lives of others.
He added that were it not for Kenyans who had been arrested for not abiding regulations set by the government, quarantine facilities would have fewer individuals.
"We will first help the group that is in quarantine rightfully and not others who have been placed under quarantine because they are not taking abiding by the laws that have been set," the head of state said.
This came a day after 50 individuals who were arrested Friday, April 17, for breaking curfew guidelines were taken into forced quarantine.
The individuals are said to have lamented about the daily Ksh2,000 fee which they claimed they could not afford.
'Yesterday we were together during meals with some of them and they were lamenting how expensive it is to pay the Ksh2,000 daily charge. I never knew they were planning to escape," a source at the quarantine facility told Kenyans.co.ke.
On Sunday, April 19 Health CAS Mercy Mwagangi reiterated that anyone found disregarding curfew directives would be arrested and taken to mandatory quarantine at their own cost.
Currently, Nairobi County is leading in the number of cases that have tested positive for Covid-19.
Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho warned that stiffer penalties might be issued to curb the spread of the disease.
"We are now properly mapping hot spots. We are going to do cessation of movement within those hotspots. We have also done cessation of movement in other counties (Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa) and we have discussed that the cessation will be replicated in other hot spots where infection increases, according to our observation," Kibicho warned.
Below is an audio courtesy of Radio Citizen;
