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Sh20,000 instant fine for flouting covid rules

mutyambai

Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai. FILE PHOTO | NMg

If you are caught flouting the Covid-19 regulations by the police, you will not be arrested but will be made to pay a fine of Sh20,000 on the spot.

This is part of the enforcement measures unveiled by the National Police Service for breach of guidelines like failure to wear masks, operating outside curfew and not keeping social distance in meetings, bars and public transport vehicles.

Offenders could also be slapped with six-month in jail sentences or both.

Inspector General of police Hilary Mutyambai Thursday said the decision not to arrest individuals caught flouting the rules was aimed at ensuring that police cells around the country are not congested and turned into Covid-19 epicentres.

“For very simple reasons, I’d like to desist from arresting people this time. I am not going to waste a lot of time taking people to court,” said Mutyambai.

President Uhuru Kenyatta Wednesday directed the Ministry of Interior to constitute a Special Enforcement Unit for Covid-19 protocols.

He refrained from imposing stiffer restrictions to curb the surge of coronavirus cases amid pressure to restore earlier lockdowns that pushed the economy into recession.

But faced with an economy that shrank by 5.7 percent in the three months to June when business shut and people stayed at home, Mr Kenyatta resisted the push by governors to enact stiffer measures.