Senators summons CS Kagwe’s to discuss mitigation of the coronavirus.
A Senate ad-hoc committee established to monitor the COVID-19 situation in the country has summoned the National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) to appear before them to discuss strategies to mitigate the deadly disease.
The seven-member team wants to understand from the inter-ministerial technical committee on government response on the coronavirus outbreak, their readiness to combat, curb and protect Kenyans from the deadly virus.
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So far, the global death toll from the virus has exceeded 52,500 as the number of infections passes one million mark.
The Ad-Hoc Committee on health and the inter-ministerial technical committee on government response to the Coronavirus outbreak is headed by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.
While the Senate ad-hoc committee on COVID-19 pandemic is chaired by Nairobi Senator Johnstone Sakaja and deputized by nominated Senator Sylvia Kasanga.
On Sunday, Senator Kasanga said her committee was supposed to meet CS Kagwe's team last Friday but it was pushed to this week.
“We want to meet the team led by Kagwe first before we meet the individual ministries. We were supposed to do that on Friday but it did not happen. But the chairman is pushing the CS to see if we can meet them either on Wednesday or Thursday," Ms Kasanga said.
Her sentiments were shared by Nairobi Senator Sakaja who said on Sunday: “We shall be meeting National Emergency Response Committee headed by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe to answer some of the concerns being raised by Kenyans.”
Senator Sakaja said as part of representation of people, they will also be inviting constitutional and public institutions and the general public to submit their views on four thematic areas.
CS Kagwe’s team is tasked with coordinating Kenya’s preparedness, prevention and response to the epidemic.
Other members of the Covid-19 committee include Cabinet Secretaries George Magoha (Education), Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs), James Macharia (Transport), Monica Juma (Defence) and Joe Mucheru (ICT).
Others include chairperson of the Health Committee at the Council of Governors, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, Office of the President Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita.
Others are the principal administrative secretary in the Office of the President, principal secretaries in Health, National Treasury, Transport, Foreign Affairs and ICT ministries.
The Government Spokesman and the Director of Public Health also serve as joint secretaries.
Meanwhile, People Daily has learnt that the committee has started receiving submissions from professionals on how the current situation can be mitigated.
Last week, Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye published an advertisement in the local dailies inviting interested members of the public to submit any representations that they may have arising from or related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The committee has also invited the Independent Police Oversight Authority and Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai to shed light on police brutality following death of three people from curfew enforcement. Over 50 other people are also nursing injuries allegedly inflicted by police officers.
The Council of Governors, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union and Kenya National Union of Nurses have also been invited to give an account of healthcare workers on the frontline of the disease.
“We could like to understand the provision of testing and medical equipment, including adequate ventilators in referral hospitals and in at least one public hospital in each county,” Sakaja said.
The committee will also be having discussions with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives and CoG for easing of legislative and regulatory requirements for doing business and protection of residential and commercial tenants.
