The resurgence of COVID-19 infections in the country has forced Deputy President William Ruto to scale down his “wheelbarrow” engagements.
Ruto was this weekend set to tour the Eastern region but has cancelled the “empowerment meetings” which were to be held in Machakos, Kitui and Makueni counties.
In a statement posted on his Twitter page Tuesday, Dr Ruto announced he will “significantly” reduce the number of tours he makes across the country.
“The upsurge in Covid19 cases strongly indicates that a second wave my be in the offing. For this reason I have decided to significantly scale down my public engagements until further notice. The empowerment meetings for this weekend in Machakos, Kitui and Kakueni are postponed,” said the DP.
This comes as the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) attributed the surge in coronavirus infections to political rallies.
“The Association notes with concern that adherence to the Ministry of Health guidelines meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus is waning. This has been attributed to pandemic fatigue, financial constraints faced by Kenyans during movement restrictions and concerns about the government’s approach and communication strategy,” said KMA President Dr. Were Onyino in a statement on Tuesday.
He added: “Of more concern is the fact that political leaders who should be leading by example have blatantly defied the Ministry of Health’s guidelines on COVID-19. An increase in cases in several counties has been linked to political rallies, which have proven to be super-spreader events. The gains made to mitigate the effects of this pandemic are quickly being reversed during these high-contact gatherings.”
