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Mercy Mwai @wangumarci

Angry MPs yesterday accused the government of applying double standards in its handling of the deadly coronavirus outbreak that has so far killed close to 3,000 people in China.

The MPs, who sit in the departmental committee on Defence and Foreign Relations, claimed the government had demonstrated it does not care about its people after a plane carrying 239 passengers from China was allowed into Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday.

They also accused the government of hypocrisy for declining to evacuate Kenyan students stranded in Wuhan City, the epicentre of the outbreak, while on the other hand allowing Chinese to enter Kenya.

But despite the accusations and the uproar the China Southern Airlines flight has caused, with critics saying the country was courting the coronavirus with a bouquet of flowers,  both Nairobi and Beijing yesterday insisted that flights to and from China will continue.

“The flight that touched down in the country yesterday (Wednesday) was subjected to WHO requirements before it was allowed into Kenya due to the best interests of the country.

All the passengers were asked to self-quarantine. It is quite difficult to respond to certain questions.

Given some of the passengers were wearing face masks, I wouldn’t be able to tell if they were all from India, China, Elgeyo-Marakwet or Kisumu,” Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo told agitated MPs.

Members of the Foreign Relations committee led by chairman Katoo ole Metito said the government was duty-bound to safeguard the lives of all Kenyans.

The MPs had summoned the CS to shed light on how the government was responding to the threat of a coronavirus outbreak that is sweeping through the globe.

“I have sat here listening painfully to the CS of Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo giving underwhelming and sickening answers to this committee.

Countries are putting restrictions and you are here telling us that you have enhanced surveillance yet you load Chinese in a plane and allow it to land here and you want us to do nothing about it.

If this virus were to break out in this country it would be a disaster.  We have the locusts to fight and so don’t bring to us the coronavirus,” said an agitated Nelson Koech, MP for Belgut.

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Other members resent were Techla Tum (Nandi County), Simba Arati (Dagorreti North), John Kiarie (Dagorreti South), Richard Tongi (Nyaribari Chache), Patrick Makau (Mavoko), Yusuf Hassan (Kamukunji), Martha Wangari (Gilgil), Peter Mwathi (Limuru) and Lodepe Nakara (Turkana Central).

But even as the MPs were expressing their fury, the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi issued a statement reiterating that the China Southern Airlines will continue flying into the country once a week.

The embassy said the airlines usually notify the Ministry of Health in advance and ensure that all passengers on board are screened and cleared.

“The embassy has also sent officials to the airport for assistance, and before arrival of the flight, the embassy has always reminded all Chinese companies and diaspora groups in Kenya of the 14-day self-quarantine requirements,” the embassy stated.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Health defended itself over accusations that it was handling the virus casually, insisting that it had put in place contingency measures.

Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman and acting director general of health, Dr Patrick Amoth, said  the ministry had activated an emergency operations centre to closely monitor evolution of the outbreak globally.

It had also enhanced diagnostic capacity, mandatory screening, posted 615 health workers to public and private hospitals and entry points and established a “whole government and multi-agency approach”.

Despite the explanation, the government continued to be on the receiving end from angry Kenyans who faulted its handling of the potential catastrophe. 

American-based Kenya scholar Prof Makau Mutua said major airlines could stop flying into Nairobi while Kenya Airways could be banned from flying to New York and Europe because of the Chinese flights landing in Nairobi.

“It is very likely that major global airlines like KLM, British Airways, Air France, Qatar Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa may stop flying to Nairobi now that Kenya has allowed the resumption of direct flights from China. KQ may also be banned from flying to New York and Europe,” Mutua tweeted.

The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN)  threatened to mobilise nurses to down their tools if the government will not “show seriousness” in preventing an outbreak of the virus in Kenya.

Union secretary  general Seth Panyako termed the government’s move to allow passengers from China into Nairobi a reckless move that puts lives of over 47 million Kenyans in danger.

 “It’s an insensitive and irresponsible action by the government. Kenya is ill prepared to tackle even one case, how do you allow over 200 people in the country from where the virus is concentrated?” he posed.

Making her submissions before the MPs committee yesterday, Omamo defended the action to allow the Chinese flight to Nairobi, saying the plane did not come from Wuhan which is in a lockdown.

She assured the MPs that the government was keeping close watch on the health of 100 Kenyans,  among them 91 students and nine acrobats, living in the Chinese city.

Omamo also defended Kenyan ambassador to China Sarah Serem, whom she said was briefing the government on the situation in Wuhan on a daily basis.

The CS,  who had a rough time with the legislators, found herself in more trouble after she was unable to confirm the nationalities and the origin of the 239 passengers, who arrived in the country on Wednesday.

As part of the efforts to deal with the virus, she said, members of the Cabinet had formed an inter-ministerial technical committee to deal with the situation.

The lawmakers demanded that all flights from China be barred from entering Kenya. Mavoko MP Makau, regretted that in Mlolongo area of his constituency, some Chinese nationals constructing  the Standard Gauge Railway have been spotted wearing face masks yet Kenyans working with them did not have any protective gear.

Arati sought to know how prepared the government is after 47 countries had people who had tested positive for the virus.