President Uhuru Kenyatta has revealed that he ordered the arrest of Kilifi Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi for what he termed as carelessness in how he conducted himself upon returning from a Germany trip.
In an interview with a local vernacular radio station Tuesday morning, Mr Kenyatta said he hoped that the Kilifi County leader gets 10 years in jail for his negligence amid the Covid-19.
“I am the one who said that the Kilifi Deputy Governor should be arrested… I am praying that he gets 10 years,” he said.
“How can a leader fly from Germany and start infecting people in Nairobi and Kilifi?” he wondered, adding that his position of power would not insulate him from the consequences of his actions.
His comments come a day after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) petitioned to have Mr Saburi held at Manyani Maximum Security Prison to enable the police to complete investigations.
Through State prosecutor Edgar Mulamula, the DPP said witnesses are yet to record their statements.
Through his lawyer, Mr Saburi argued before Senior Resident Magistrate Ritah Amwayi that there was no medical report indicating that he tested positive for Covid-19.
He also claimed that he did not infect anyone with the virus.
The president also said that bills incurred by people who get infected in the course of duty will be taken over by the government.
“Soon we shall have enough protective gear for all hospitals,” he said.
Mr Kenyatta also noted that those who are coming to Nairobi to seek medical treatment should not be punished but instead be assisted.
“The people we are stopping are those entering the metropolis without a genuine reason,” he said.
On the elderly, Mr Kenyatta said the State is starting a programme that will see that they do not suffer during this time.
“I have instructed chiefs to get names of all those who have not been receiving money,” he said.
