• The directive came after Lawyers Henry Kurauka and Dudley Ochiel told the court that the government was yet to trace, account, re-examine, confine and quarantine in a KDF facility all the 239 passengers.
Image: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
A Nairobi court has given the government 11 days to provide a detailed plan on prevention surveillance and response system on Coronavirus.
High court Judge James Makau on Friday said the Attorney General Paul Kihara, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, Interior's Fred Matiangi, Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo and Transport James Macharia should prepare and file the details before March 17.
The directive came after Lawyers Henry Kurauka and Dudley Ochiel told the court that the government was yet to trace, account, re-examine, confine and quarantine in a KDF facility all the 239 passengers it let into the country aboard a Chinese flight on February 26.
Kurauka who represents two medics who wanted the respective CS's charged for attempted mass murder said the state has partially complied with the orders it issued on Friday last week but more needs to be done.
On Friday last week, Makau suspended all flights from China.
He also issued an order restraining the four CS’s, the AG and KAA from letting into the country by air, sea and land any persons from China or any other WHO-designated hot spot country that is adversely affected by the virus.
Even as Judge Makau issued the directive, he appreciated the efforts taken by the government so far.
The proceedings saw two affidavits tabled in court as had earlier been directed by the Judge.
Benjamin Murkomen the port health officer at JKIA said on February 26, when the China southern airline flight landed in Nairobi, a rapid response team adorning full protective gear boarded the aircraft for an inflight screening of all passengers and flight crew.
In his affidavit, murkomen mentions that the port health staff found all passengers and crew on board wearing surgical masks.
"We proceeded to conduct temperature checks thrice on all passengers and crew with an ambulance on standby at the airside in case referral was required. No passengers was found to have fever," Murkomen said.
He said the highest recorded temperature on that plane was 37.1°C and other signs and symptoms such as persistent coughing, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing were absent.
This he said did not meet the case definition for COVID-19.
"The surveillance forms for all the 239 passengers were collected and analysed. And a list of all the passengers taken forwarded after analysis to Ministry of Health focal point showing their contacts destinations for follow up," read his affidavit.
After disembarkation, Murkomen said the aircraft was disinfected in accordance with the international health regulation to enable it resume operation.
In a separate affidavit, Dr. Patrick Amoth the acting Director for Health at MOH said they have taken numerous actions to prevent the incidence and spread of the virus in Kenya.
He said mandatory screening is ongoing at all points of entry to minimize the risk of the importation of the virus from affected countries.
"A total of 320,123 travelers have been screened across various points of entry since January 20 to date and the Kenya civil aviation authority has also directed all incoming flights to ensure passengers are aware of the screening protocol," he said.
Amoth said each air, sea and land port of entry has a designated isolation facility to separate suspected cases for further monitoring linked to the nearest level 4 or 5 hospitals in the area.
According to the affidavit, the department of immigration continues to record all incoming passengers especially orginating from china while retaijing contact and pysical adress information.
Amoth said the government has similarly acquired additional isolation facilities at the newly established Kenyatta university teaching and referral hospital.
This has been done in the event the country reports mores cases than the capacity at KNH which has the largest isolation wards.
"The government has also taken over a new ward with a capacity of 120 beds at Mbagathi District hospital to increase isolation capacity in the event of a full-blown outbreak in the country," he said.