SPECIAL REPORT: COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTS' RESPONSES TO COVID-19
RESPONDING TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF KENYA Along with several other Commonwealth countries in the Africa Region, Kenya has (to date) opted against a full COVID-19 lockdown. The Kenyan Government reacted to its first confirmed case of Coronavirus on 13 March 2020 by banning public gatherings, then added school closures and flight bans shortly after. On 25 March 2020, with 25 confirmed cases, Kenya imposed a ‘dusk-to-dawn’ curfew. Additional restrictions came on 6 April 2020, with partial lockdowns of four counties with the highest infection rates – Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale. According to the Commonwealth COVID-19 tracker1, Kenya has reported 715 confirmed cases of Coronavirus with 36 confirmed deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the manner in which Parliaments all over the world conduct their business, and the National Assembly of Kenya is no exception. The unprecedented circumstances occasioned by the pandemic have required that the National Assembly reengineers its operations and the manner in which it conducts its business.
However, despite the challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 global pandemic, the National Assembly of Kenya has continued to execute its mandate as enshrined in the Constitution. Notably, whereas the Executive has put in place measures to protect citizens against the pandemic, it is the Legislature that is expected to institute the legal frameworks to make these protections possible. The need for the National Assembly to continue discharging its functions as espoused in Article 95 of the Constitution amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic cannot therefore be overstated. On 2 and 11 April 2020, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Rt Hon. Justin B. Muturi, MP issued guidelines on the conduct of sittings of the House and Committee meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic period. These guidelines have been in use in the sittings of the National Assembly undertaken since then. Below: The Parliament of Kenya in Nairobi.
The Parliamentarian | 2020: Issue Two | 100 years of publishing 1920-2020 | 115
