NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 28 – The High Court has stopped the destruction of COVID-19 sanitiser booths erected in various parts of the city by the Sonko Rescue Team (SRT).
SRT is a Non-Governmental Organisation associated with Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, that undertakes various charitable work.
In recent weeks, it was involved in fumigating city slums and also erected sanitiser booths at strategic locations on city streets and bus stations as well as at the Kenyatta National Hospital and other government installations.
However, some of them were destroyed by police and other officials said to be from the Ministry of Health.
This prompted the NGO to file a case in court Tuesday.
Consequently, Justice Weldon Korir issued orders restraining respondents in the matter from interfering, in any way, with charity functions of the NGO, pending hearing and determination of the case.
The Judge observed that the petition by the NGO had raised weighty issues that require determination.
In the suit, the NGO protested the decision by health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and others to “maliciously destroy and remove sanitizer booths in the CBD last Tuesday”.
Under a certificate of urgency, the NGO through lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui accused Kagwe together with Nairobi Regional Security Commissioner Wilson Njega of interfering with the charitable works in a bid to fight the spread of COVID 19.
According to suit papers filed Tuesday, sanitizer booths brought down were installed at Kencom Bus Stop, Buruburu Shopping Centre and Kibera slum.
Lawyer Kinyanjui sought orders restraining the respondents from interfering with other existing sanitizer booths at KNH, Greenspan Estate, Mathare and Korogocho pending determination of the case.
He claims that he put up the intervening measures after the respondents failed to provide face masks and hand sanitizer’s.
So far , lawyer Kinyanjui alleges that with the bringing down of the sanitizer booths the NGO has incurred a loss of Sh 5 million since each was installed at a cost of Sh400,000. Sonko has protested that the National Government is sabotaging his charitable efforts yet other VIP’s similar deeds had been acknowledged.
The NGO insists it stands to gain no monetary gain through its endeavors other than to help the poor and less fortunate.
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