DP Ruto suspends campaigns, cites rise in COVID-19 cases

Deputy President William Ruto has suspended a series of political gatherings he was set to hold this coming weekend in the Eastern region, citing the resurgence of COVID-19 infections in the country.

DP Ruto further says that going forward, he will “significantly scale down” on the number of public engagements he has been holding across the country.

The deputy president was expected to visit Machakos, Makueni and Kitui this weekend.

“The upsurge in Covid19 cases strongly indicates that a second wave my be in the offing. For this reason I have decided to significantly scale down my public engagements until further notice. The empowerment meetings for this weekend in Machakos, Kitui and Kakueni are postponed,” said the DP in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) has attributed the rising COVID-19 infections to the recent heightened political rallies.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, KMA President Dr. Were Onyino called on the government to ban all large gatherings including political rallies for a period of not less than 30 days  to stop the cycle of transmission.

“The Association notes with concern that adherence to the Ministry of Health guidelines meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus is waning. This has been attributed to pandemic fatigue, financial constraints faced by Kenyans during movement restrictions and concerns about the government’s approach and communication strategy,” said KMA President Dr. Were Onyino.

“Of more concern is the fact that political leaders who should be leading by example have blatantly defied the Ministry of Health’s guidelines on COVID-19. An increase in cases in several counties has been linked to political rallies, which have proven to be super-spreader events. The gains made to mitigate the effects of this pandemic are quickly being reversed during these high-contact gatherings.”