Double standards in Covid rules enforcement holding back fight

The irony is alarmingly stark. You need to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination to get into a mall or hotel and to receive government services, besides masking, sanitising and social distancing.

But there are no restrictions or requirements to observe Covid-19 protocols to attend a political meeting—such as the ones separately led by Deputy President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga in Western Kenya on Friday.

Despite the rise in Covid-19 cases, thought to be fuelled by the Omicron variant, political gatherings have been going on in total disregard for the Ministry of Health protocols. This contradicts the ministry’s directive on December 22 that every person show proof of vaccination to access public places such as parks, hotels, restaurants, bars, domestic flights, trains and public service vehicles.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe gave a December 21 deadline. His directive prompted a court case and the directive was declared illegal. But the ministry invoked the Public Health Act to circumvent the court order and enforce the directive. “All restaurants and public places are reminded not to admit persons who have not been vaccinated. For you to go out to public places, get vaccinated,” Mr Kagwe said.

“Those seeking government services, or access to public places such as parks, hotels and restaurants, bars, domestic flights, trains and PSVs must present Covid certificates,” the ministry’s Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi reminded Kenyans last week.

Access to services

Already, businesses, malls and hotels are restricting entries only to those with Covid-19 certificates. But why is the government only giving these conditions to businesses and not politicians holding potentially super-spreader events?

Enquiries by the Sunday Nation to Mr Kagwe and other senior ministry officials about this apparent selective application of the rules had yielded responses by the time of going to press. However, one senior official said the matter was too sensitive for him to respond.

“I beg not to comment on the matter, kindly.”

Another senior ministry official, who sought anonymity, said the Covid-19 certificate decision was largely informed by the need to reassure those coming into the country, especially investors, that there are measures in place.

“When we have the measures, they see Kenya as a serious country,” the official said.

He, however, concurred that something needed to be done about the holding of political meetings without restrictions. This echoed recent comments by hoteliers questioning the double standards.

In previous comments, Mr Kagwe had warned Kenyans to stop attending rallies for the conveners not to have people to address. “You know if you don’t attend the rallies, they will have no one to talk to. Kenyans are the same people flocking to the rallies and complaining at the same time. Stop attending the rallies, stay safe at home.”

Kakamega events

A study by Lancet revealed that political crowds undermine compliance with protocols, limit the outcomes of responses and facilitate the spread. On Friday, however, Mr Odinga and Dr Ruto were at different meetings in Kakamega with huge crowds. This has been the trend for months, despite the emergence of Omicron, as the country gears towards the polls in August.

Typically, hundreds of people—and in Friday’s case thousands—attend these political meetings, with many not masking or social distancing. There is also sharing of microphones by those who speak without any attempt made to sanitise the equipment.

“His (Kagwe’s) is a double standard; we cannot be preaching to people as leaders to observe the protocols, yet we are the same people disregarding the measures,” says Prof Omu Anzala, virologist and immunologist in the Medical Microbiology department at the University of Nairobi. “The numbers are high and the political rallies are gaining momentum. We will just go the Indian way.”

Last year in India, a deadly wave of the Covid-19 Delta variant was blamed on mass gatherings in religious and political events that attracted thousands of people. Thousands were infected, hundreds died and the health system was overwhelmed in apocalyptic scenes televised across the world.

“Is this what we want? Though we are not yet there, we must just lead by example. When you tell people not to visit a mall because they are not vaccinated, why don’t you also prevent them from attending rallies?” said Prof Anzala. “When we host political crowds with the attenders not wearing masks and not observing social distance, we are robbing families of their loved ones.”

He said the number of new cases and the positivity rate should be enough to pass a message that the virus is still here, hence the need to continue taking precaution despite initial indications that Omicron could be milder.

In Parliament, during the special sitting held on Wednesday, the Covid-19 protocol guidelines such as social distance were thrown out of the window as members interacted freely and did physical handshakes.

During the voting that led to fracas, members crowded the speakers’ table, shoving and pushing each other, disregarding the existence of the coronavirus.

The Health ministry had earlier advised Parliament that the chambers could accommodate 120 members, but the figure was revised to 234 as the rules for each sector were relaxed.

House sittings

Clerk of the National Assembly Michael Sialai told the Sunday Nation the house was crowded as they had not reconfigured the electronic voting system, hence lawmakers had to vote manually at the speaker’s table. During divisions, each side—usually the nays and the ayes—nominate two tellers to verify voting.

“Unfortunately, at some stage, some members congregated at the table as they lined up to vote. This will be addressed in the next sitting as the chamber has been reconfigured to allow all the members to vote electronically, thus no crowding will be allowed to the speaker’s and clerk’s table areas,” Mr Sialai said.

“We recently received a letter from the Health ministry advising the chamber be reconfigured to two-thirds of the members. However, we had not reconfigured the electronic voting from the previous 120 to 234 delegate units to facilitate electronic voting should the speaker direct so.”

During the sitting, the House was almost full just a week after some members returned from the East African parliamentary games in Arusha where it is suspected that about 20 members tested positive for Omicron.

MPs infected

“A small number of members and staff returned positive results. Affected members and staff have been advised to isolate and follow relevant Covid-19 protocols as guided by the Ministry of Health,” Mr Sialai said in a statement. “Our medical team is conducting follow ups to ensure compliance and offer any necessary help to the affected members and staff.”

Attempts by nominated MP David Sankok to have the sitting stopped for violating Covid protocols were ignored—with some viewing his intervention as part of efforts by DP Ruto’s allies to frustrate debate. The guidelines were not adhered to despite assurance of Speaker Justin Muturi in his Gazette notice that they would be strictly observed.

“Due to the effects of Covid-19, the speaker’s guidelines and related communications on access to the House and sitting arrangements shall be adhered to during the special sittings,” he had said.

Most members of the public have also lowered their guard.

In many public transport vehicles, some people do not have masks, while most of those who have put them on their chins.

Ms Kaltum Guyo, a legal researcher, earlier said politicians should pay for Covid for hosting unregulated gatherings, which are the likeliest super-spreaders.

The authorities have turned a blind eye to political rallies after the ban by President Uhuru Kenyatta last year elapsed.