COVID-19: Matiangi, Kagwe on the spot over parallel quarantine team

The Senate has asked Interior CS Fred Matiangi and his Health counterpart Mutahi Kagwe to clarify on the irregular rounding-up of parliamentary service staff.

During a Tuesday session, Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka said the two cabinet secretaries have two days to respond to the matter.

The senate had been on a two week recess after the COVID-19 case was reported in the country.

Senator Aaron Cheruiyot rose on a point of order and brought to the attention of the House the existence of a parallel response team to the Covid-19 known as the 'Multi-agency' based at the Office of the President.

The senator said the team is rounding up people who travelled in the last one month and dumping them at various isolation centres.

As a result the teams have ended up mixing people who have been in the centres for four weeks and those who arrived four days ago.

"The Senator said he had received a distress call from staff of the Parliamentary service who had travelled to the United Kingdom on official business and returned to Kenya on March 8," the Lusaka said in a letter to the two CSs.

Senator Cheruiyot indicated that the team had picked the staff from his residence and forcefully taken him to a quarantine centre in Kasarani despite the fact that he had duly complied with the Ministry of Health's directive requiring self-quarantine for 14 days.

Cheruiyot said the parliamentary researcher who was with his committee in the UK was picked on Monday together with wife and a four-month-old child.

He said so far no tests have been done as the police have no capacity to do this.

He said the Director of Public Health Dr Patrick Amoth had confirmed to him that he does not know who is in charge of that team.

"The Senator made attempts to reach the ministry of Health which stated it is not aware of such a team," the Senate Clerk said.

He said a number of Senators rose to speak on the matter and similarly expressed their concerns.

In the end, the Speaker observed that this was a grave matter that was of great concern to the senate.

"The Speaker directed that the Ministry of Interior and Coordination and the Ministry of Health present a report to the Senate within two days responding to the matter and clarifying the teams that are mandated to handle the Covid-19 matter," read part of the letter by the Clerk.

Lusaka said the response, to be filed by April 2, should reach his office through the Clerk.