NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 29 – Amani National Congress (ANC ) leader, Musalia Mudavadi and former Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka have lauded President Uhuru Kenyatta for issuing an Executive order on the coronavirus epidemic epidemic.
President Kenyatta issued an Executive Order number 2 Friday, establishing a national emergency response committee to be chaired by the newly-appointed Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.
“The new committee will draw members from other ministries, shall coordinate Kenya’s preparedness, prevention and response to the threat of the coronavirus disease,” reads a section of the Executive Order 2.
The coronavirus outbreak has killed more than 2000 people, mainly in China, and infected nearly 100,000 others. In Africa, the first case has been reported in Nigeria.
Speaking during the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) rally held in Meru, Mudavadi said that all Kenyans must support the President’s order and take individual responsibility in ensuring all emergency responses are put in place.
“We should support the President and all the steps that will be taken to ensure the coronavirus epidemic does not spread into Kenya, we take this seriously and we want resources to be diverted, let us stand with him. Those charged with this exercise, be serious and take your responsibility,” he said.
Musyoka, on his part said the government requires public support in order to ensure Kenyans do not lose their lives because of unpreparedness.
“What the president has done requires all our support we congratulate him and Minister Kagwe, do your work, we don’t want to lose Kenyans because we are unprepared,” he stated.
According to the Executive Order, the mandate of the committee extends to “formulating, enforcing and reviewing of processes and requirements that regulate the entry into Kenya of any persons or class of persons known or suspected to have traveled from a Coronavirus affected area.”
The President also wants a National isolation and treatment facility set up at Mbagathi Hospital completed in a week’s time in time to receive patients, in the event coronavirus case or cases are confirmed in the country.
Bungoma Senator, Moses Wetangula, who was also in attendance during the rally urged the BBI taskforce to maximize on the platform to ensure that Kenyans’ opinion are heard before the referendum which will see the Constitution change.
“The way we have agreed the change of constitution, we should ensure that all citizens opinions are heard and implemented. We may not have an immediate opportunity to change the constitution., so this is a constitutional moment for Kenya,” he stated.
Former Presidential candidate Peter Kenneth, on his part, said that BBI initiative should be used to unite everyone saying Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga must be accorded respect.
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