MPs rubbish ‘fake’ viral list of coronavirus-infected legislators
Kibra MP Iran Okoth and Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata yesterday rubbished a list circulating on social media purportedly naming the 17 MPs said to have tested positive for coronavirus.
Okoth, his Soy counterpart Caleb Kositany and Saboti’s Caleb Amisi whose names are among those in the list shared their test results, which indicated they are negative of Covid-19. The MPs termed the list as fake news.
“Please ignore any list doing rounds out there,” said the Kibra MP. The development came even as some MPs called for the naming of the affected legislators to end panic.
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Kang’ata said he had not travelled out of the country in the recent past, and that he has not been tested for the virus.
“I am surprised that some people have cooked a list of 17 MPs and senators who they claim received results from a laboratory confirming they are positive of the virus,” said the senator.
He said it was wrong for people to play around with such a serious issue by spreading false information, adding that it will only cause more panic.
Panic and anxiety have engulfed Parliament after it emerged some 17 legislators and scores of parliamentary staff had allegedly tested positive for Covid-19.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria said given the number of people that MPs interact with, it was only wise to have the names of the affected released to facilitate speedy tracking of contacts and testing.
“Dear CS Mutahi Kagwe. If its true 17 MPs have tested positive for coronavirus, it is only fair you release the names so that Kenyans who have interacted with them can rush for testing,” the MP wrote on Facebook.
The legislators said to have tested positive were among 52 members of the Senate and National Assembly who received their results on Tuesday from the Ministry of Health after taking the voluntary tests last week.
The National Assembly, through its clerk Michael Sialai, submitted the lawmakers’ names last week to the ministry for testing.
Among those who were subjected to test and mandatory quarantine included members of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee and the Delegated Legislation Committee.
The two teams with a combined membership of 38 held a joint sitting on March 17 attended by Rabai MP Kamoti Mwamkale, who has since tested positive.
Others included those who attended the burial of the late Msambweni MP Suleiman Dori on March 9 and came into contact with Kilifi Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi, who also had contracted the virus but has since recovered.
