• A number of staff and MCAs tested positive for Covid-19 in eight-county bloc
• Deputy speaker Hosea Lamai says the assembly will conduct plenary and committee sessions via Zoom to avoid infection in crowded chambers.
Uasin Gishu County Assembly has resumed sittings via Zoom after it suspended sessions for 21 days following the death of Huruma MCA Peter Chomba Chomba due to Covid-19 last month.
A number of staff and MCAs had also tested positive for Covid-19.
Deputy speaker Hosea Lamai said the assembly will now conduct plenary and committee sessions via Zoom to avoid infections risks in crowded meeting chambers.
He said the assembly will also be fumigated and all Covid-19 protocols observed.
“We have begun carrying out our meetings through Zoom and most MCAs and staff have adapted well as we fight the Covid-19 pandemic," Lamai said.
He said most MCAs and staff had been tested for Covid-19 and the county assembly offices had also been fumigated to allow for only essential operations.
All operations, including tabling of motions, were going on well virtually, he said.
Chomba collapsed at his home and was rushed to a hospital in Eldoret where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
It was later confirmed he suffered from Covid-19. His death led to closure of all county assembly operations.
“We urge residents to realise Covid-19 is real and they must fully adhere to control measures," Lamai said.
Nandi and Trans Nzoia assemblies have also been shut are yet to resume.
The two counties, along with Uasin Gishu and Baringo, are among those reporting a high number of cases daily.
The county also leads in the region in cases of medics infected by Covid-19. More than 170 health workers have been infected.
“We have ensured all control measures are enforced in the region so we stop spread of the disease," Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago said. He is chairman of the North Rift Economic Bloc.
He said spread of the disease had stalled or disrupted operations in most counties where most staff had been asked to work from home.
(Edited by V. Graham)