Migori leaders have differed over remarks on Covid-19 infection in the county.
County commissioner Boaz Cherutich on Thursday said it is sad that several politicians have claimed that Migori is Covid-19-free and urged residents to flout rules placed by the government.
“I condemn politicians who have been misleading people to flout rules. We will arrest and out in jail those flouting the rules,” Cherutich said.
He said the statement is misleading and false.
Last week while addressing the press from his home in Rapogi, Governor Okoth Obado claimed that Migori is Covid-19-free and residents should not be wearing face masks.
He also declared that all markets closed earlier would be reopened.
“I am not wearing a facemask because I have looked at the country and I have seen that God has blessed us and removed this issue,” Obado said.
He had castigated Tanzanians for laxity in controlling the virus earlier but said Migori will follow suit to normalize operations.
“We have seen our God-given immunity has assisted us, if the virus comes in the second wave we may reconsider,” he said.
He said that in February, he suspected he had the virus after experiencing a cough, but that he was healed.
But Cherutich said that markets are not opened and despite the orders, they will remain closed.
Obado’s remarks come after Kuria West MP Mathias Robi on August 30 said Kenya should copy Tanzania and open up the country “as Covid-19 was a fallacy used by elites to steal money from government and donors”.
“There is no Covid-19 in Kenya, the numbers have been doctored to steal donor funds and money through corruption deal, let the economy be opened,” Robi said.
He said while the country has been reporting deaths, it was not as serious as saying.
On Saturday, Senator Ochilo Ayacko condemned the remarks by the two leaders, terming them misleading.
“Only the Health ministry can declare that after several measures, those politicians misleading the county should be brought to task to explain their statement,” Ayacko said.
He said Migori allocated Sh40 million to fight the virus while the national government issued Sh178 million, with donor funding reaching Sh295 million “which is yet to be accounted for and residents yet to feel their effect in Migori”.
By Tuesday, the county had recorded 463 cases, getting among the top 10 most infected counties.