• It is in the best interest of all the 122 MCAs and staff that the speaker should close the assembly and forbid all physical sessions.
• The house leadership will discuss the way forward. Already, physical meetings of more than 25 MCAs are prohibited.
Image: FILE
County Assembly speaker Benson Mutura has been urged to prohibit physical meetings after at least five MCAs, assembly and executive wing staff contracted Covid-19.
The appeal was raised by Health committee chairperson Peter Warutere, who on Monday confirmed the infections but withheld to give the exact number.
“It will be in the best interest of all the 122 MCAs and staff that our speaker closes the assembly and forbids all physical meetings to help in the enforcement of containment measures,” Warutere told the Star.
“Unfortunately there are MCAs and assembly staff who have contracted the coronavirus. We sympathise with the same and wish them quick recovery.”
The Roysambu ward representative disclosed that several of his colleagues had contracted Covid-19 since the first case was confirmed in March. They self-isolated, sought medical attention and had recovered.
Nairobi remains the hotbed of the highly infectious virus. On November 8, the city recorded 336 new Covid-19 cases. It accounted for more than half of the country’s 62,488 cases as of last Sunday.
Majority Whip Paul Kados called on his counterparts who know they are Covid-19 positive to self-isolate as per the requirements of the Ministry of Health.
“It is difficult to know the status of all 122 members since not everyone has undergone testing and even if they have, not all will reveal their status. If we can all get tested and know our status, it will be better. But it is a personal decision to disclose his/her status,” he said.
Kados said the house leadership will discuss the way forward, noting that already, physical meetings of more than 25 MCAs are prohibited.
“Committees are still meeting but outside the assembly where they can observe social distancing. Otherwise, everything else should be virtual.”
Plenary sittings have since June been virtual as per the directive of former speaker Beatrice Elachi.
Only the house leadership (speaker, deputy speaker, majority and minority leaders together with their deputies and majority and minority whips and their deputies) and the mover of the motion are allowed in the chamber during plenary sittings.
Elachi had told MCAs to keep off the assembly precincts except in exceptional circumstances.
However, that has not been the case as some MCAs have been accessing the chamber and participating in plenary sessions.
Committee sittings are also done virtually except in rare cases when physical presence is requested.
Governor Mike Sonko’s spokesperson Ben Mulwa said he was not aware of any executive member with Covid-19. But a senior official who sought anonymity confirmed that some City Hall staff were home-based care while others were in isolation after testing positive for the virus.
“Indeed the virus is among us and our very own colleagues have contracted Covid-19. The governor should order the closure of offices and their fumigation as other staff undergo testing,” the official said.
This is not the first time that Covid-19 is being reported among the executive. Some members of staff were reported to have contracted the disease in May.