Kasipul MP Were fined Sh15,000 for flouting Covid-19 protocols
Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were was yesterday fined Sh15,000 after pleading guilty for flouting Covid rules.
Were was charged for going against the Ministry of Health rules set to slow down the spread of coronavirus barely hours after Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja faced similar charges.
The MP who appeared before Oyugis Law court Senior Resident Magistrate Celesa Okore on Wednesday was charged with failing to put in place measures to ensure physical distancing of not less than one metre contrary to rule 6(2)(b) as read with 6(3) and rule 11 of the public health (Covid-19) restrictions of movement of persons and related measures rule 20.
The court heard that on July 21 at Sino Location in Rachuonyo South sub-county within Homa Bay County, being a MP for Kasipul Constituency, Were failed to put in place measures to ensure that one metre is maintained between persons attending his meeting.
He pleaded guilty of failing to ensure participants in a meeting he chaired the previous day maintained social distance.
Were admitted that he committed an offence when he was on an official duty of distributing sanitisation materials to his constituents.
The legislator appeared in court after he was arrested on Tuesday evening after police officers from Oyugis Police Station got a tip off from members of the public that he convened a meeting where attendants risked their lives by failing to maintain social distance.
Disease dangers
Speaking on the sidelines, Were blamed lack of public awareness among Kenyans as the reason why most people are not maintaining social distance.
“Covid is real. The only problem is that most Kenyans have not been enlighten about on the dangers of the disease,” he said.
The legislator added that his office has embarked on an exercise of ensuring that his constituents are well informed about the virus.
