House team yet to approve key rules on Covid-19
Irene Githinji @gitshee
The National Assembly’s Committee on Delegated Legislation is yet to approve two sets of key statutory instruments relating to the coronavirus even after deliberating on them at length.
National Assembly Clerk Michael Sialai says the two instruments have not been approved as the committee waits to confer with Cabinet Secretaries Mutahi Kagwe (Health) and Fred Matiang’i (Interior) on the scope of the delegated authority and enforcement.
“The committee is concerned that the enforcement and implementation of these two sets of rules has since encountered considerable challenges affecting a wide range of the public, pursuant to Section 16 of Statutory Instruments Act which requires the committee to confer with relevant ministry before making its decision.
It has invited the relevant Cabinet Secretaries for a meeting to deliberate on the issues,” said Sialai in a statement.
The pending approvals are Public Health (Prevention, Control and Supervision of Covid-19 Rules, 2020 and the Public Health (Covid-19 restriction of movement of persons and related measures) Rules, 2020.
First rule
The first rule is to provide enforcement officers with Covid-19 rules and make suspects of criminal cases who defy orders made under Public Health Act, Public Order Act and other Statutes to be put together with persons quarantined for having been in contact with patients who have tested positive for Covid-19.
The second rule empowers Health Cabinet Secretary, whenever any part of the country appears to be threatened by any formidable epidemic, endemic or infectious disease to make rules for specified purposes aimed at preventing the spread of an infectious disease.
However, the Committee has approved 10 other instruments, which among other issues saw Kagwe declare Covid-19 a notifiable and formidable disease.
