Nakuru county has suspended physical sessions for two weeks because of Covid-19.
Closure follows a surge in the number of infections in the county. Meetings will be held virtually.
Speaker Joel Kairu said on Monday the decision was a precaution. He said assembly staff and MCAs will be tested for Covid-19 before physical meetings resume.
The suspension is effective from Tuesday, November 3, for 14 days, safety permitting.
Operations already have been scaled down and non-critical staff have been directed to work from home.
“I am aware of the enormous workload in our trays and of the constitutional responsibilities on your shoulders as legislators. But these must be weighed against the well-being of our staff, yourselves and the wider society,” Kairu said.
We are sitting on a time bomb and therefore, it is our duty to defuse this time bomb through strict adherence to all Health ministry protocols.
Speaker Joel Kairu
“We as a county we have been hard hit by the disease. Friends, voters, colleagues and others have succumbed ,” the speaker said.
Nakuru county has been among the counties with the highest numbers of new Covid-19 infection.
Of the 724 new cases announced on Monday, the county had 46, the highest after Nairobi.
“Honourable members, we are sitting on a time bomb and, therefore, it is our duty to have this bomb defused through the strict adherence to all Health ministry protocols. Although the protocols may for now appear punitive, sadly, we have little or no choice if we are to effectively address the pandemic,” Kairu said.
He said if infections decrease markedly, relaxed guidelines will be issued. Governor Lee Kinyanjui said procurement will be handled virtually until all the staff are certified free of Covid-19 and the office is fumigated.
He said periodic mandatory testing will be carried out across all cadres. Visits will be by appointment only