No entry into assembly without Covid -19 certificate

Mabatini Ward MCA Wilfred Odalo gets tested for Covid-19 on November 18. [Samson Wire]

Staff and members of the Nairobi County Assembly will be required to produce a Covid-19-free certificate before being allowed to enter the building.

This is one of the measures announced by the assembly's leadership to curb the spread of the virus.

The move follows reports that more than 20 MCAs could have contracted the virus that has so far killed more than 1,000 people in Kenya.

At the same time, the County Assembly Service Board and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services have started free testing for the members at Charter Hall.

“According to Ministry of Health statistics, the second wave of the pandemic is proving to be lethal. As an assembly, we have not been spared and both our staff and members have been affected.... Some of the measures may be inconveniencing but are necessary,” Speaker Benson Mutura said yesterday.

Physical meetings at the assembly have been banned, meaning all House business will be conducted virtually.

However, county assembly leadership comprising the Speaker, Majority and Minority leaders and their deputies will be allowed into the plenary.

At the same time, Mutura has urged MCAs attending virtual sittings in plenary and committees to adhere to the provisions of standing orders and uphold decorum.