Six months in jail if you dont have a face mask IG Mutyambai

Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai has directed police officers to arrest anyone found in public without a face mask.

Speaking in Mombasa on Wednesday, Mutyambai said putting on a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the country is now compulsory in line with the gazette notice issued by the Office of the Attorney General on April 6, 2020.

According to the gazette notice, failure to wear a face mask is punishable by a fine of Ksh.20,000 or six-year jail term or both.

“It is compulsory to put on the face mask. This is through the gazette notice dated April 6, 2020 which was issued by the office of the Attorney General… Failure to that, attracts a stiff fine of Ksh.20,000 or imprisonment of six months or both.

“I have instructed police officers to enforce this,” said Mutyambai.

The gazette notice further directed that every organization, business entity, trader or vendor whether in a market or enclosed premises must provide either water and soap to customers or an alcohol-based sanitizer approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).

Business entities are also required to put in place measures that ensure customers maintain a distance of no less than one-metre is maintained between persons accessing the premises.

The business entities, vendors, traders and organizations are also mandated to sanitize their premises on a regular basis, failure to which they also risk Ksh. 20,000 fine or imprisonment of six months.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe recently announced that boda boda operators are only allowed to carry one passenger at a time while private vehicles are to avoid carrying more than 50% of licensed capacity.

Anyone found flouting the new regulations will have their vehicle detained at a police station or any other place that the IG designates pending arraignment in court and/or for the duration of the restriction period.