28,000 Kenyans could die of Coronavirus if government directives are not followed - CS

A concerned CS Mutahi Kagwe shared the estimates during a detailed press statement issued on Saturday.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is what I'm telling Kenyans, that until and unless we become disciplined, this disease is going to finish us!

"Fellow Kenyans, this is not a time for cat and mouse games and going forward, what the people who are modelling for us are telling us is that the number of people who will die in this country or the number of people who will not die in this country will depend purely on the level of discipline that we exhibit going forward. There are models that project we could lose as many as 28,000 Kenyans as a result of this disease unless we start observing certain measures such as social distancing and others we are being told," he warned.

In his statement, the CS highlighted a number of incidents where Kenyans have violated various government measures to curb the spread of the disease including a case where one person tested positive after violating the cessation of movement directive.

28,000 Kenyans could die of Coronavirus if Ministry of Health directives are not followed - CS Mutahi Kagwe 28,000 Kenyans could die of Coronavirus if Ministry of Health directives are not followed - CS Mutahi Kagwe Pulse Live Kenya

Kenyans disobeying Coronavirus rules

The CS reported that some Kenyans in quarantine facilities were caught giving bribes to those in charge to secure release.

"I am aware that in the county of Mandera, and this has been confirmed to me by the governor, that there are people who bribed their way out of quarantine. Both those who did that and those who let them off will face the full force of the law," he warned.

CS Kagwe also highlighted incidents of long distance truck drivers ferrying people from one county to another where movement restrictions have been imposed.

"I'm again informed that there are operators who are even transporting people in matatus into and out of the city and once they get to a road block, they pay for passengers to be allowed to walk around the road block and when they have passed they get into another vehicle waiting on the other side. In other words, transporters have organized themselves [to transport passengers] where there is a roadblock," he stated.

Kenyans in quarantine facilities

Addressing Kenyans who have been protesting the extension of quarantine in government facilities, the CS stated that the measure is necessary to contain the virus.

He urged the Kenyans in those facilities to cooperate with the government as their concerns are being addressed by the National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus.

Also Read: Gov't extends Quarantine for Kenyans in 5 facilities

"It is more important to be counted among those who helped keep Covid-19 at bay than to be counted as the inconsiderate few who have failed to appreciate the danger that this pandemic presents. What is required is a little more patience, sacrifice and understanding from you, your families, Kenyans at large," he stated adding that the government is working on ironing out the administrative lapses in quarantine facilities.