Kasipul MP Charles Were fined Ksh.15,000 after pleading guilty to flouting COVID19

Kasipul MP Charles Were has been fined Ksh.15,000 after pleading guilty to flouting COVID-19 guidelines when he attended a public gathering in his constituency on Tuesday evening.

The MP appeared before Oyugis Senior Resident Magistrate Celesa Okore on Wednesday after he was arrested by Oyugis DCIO while in a public gathering at Sino Location in Rachuonyo South Sub County.

The court heard that the legislator failed to put in place measures to ensure those who attended the meeting maintained social distancing contrary to rule 11 of the Public Health Act.

The MP pleaded guilty of the offence and the court directed him to pay a fine of Ksh. 15,000 or serve three months imprisonment.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health announced that 12 more patients  died from coronavirus in Kenya raising the death toll to 250.

Speaking during the Press briefing, Health CAS Rashid Aman said older people have increased mortality.

“They (medics) need to ask about preexisting conditions. Often this cohort will be anxious and fearful of leaving their households. Due to physiological changes of ageing, old people are susceptible to COVID-19. I urge healthcare givers to provide sound advice to families…. Healthy eating helps and so older people should be supported,” he said.

According to the CAS, 397 people contracted the new coronavirus in Kenya between Monday and Tuesday,  raising the country’s tally of infections to 14,168.

He said the new cases are from 3,637 samples: so far cumulative samples tested are 249,998