A host of lawmakers on Wednesday rushed to share their Covid-19 test results in the backdrop of reports that some may have tested positive for the viral disease.

This happened as pressure mounted to have all the tested MPs declare their results in an effort to help the fight against the disease through contact tracing.

Senator James Orengo and MPs Bernard Okoth (Kibra) and Caleb Amisi (Saboti) shared their results from Lancet Kenya, which conducted voluntary testing for legislators.

Global pandemic

The reports indicated that the three tested negative for the viral disease that has turned into a global pandemic.

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and his Senate counterpart Ken Lusaka also said they tested negative without providing their reports.

Others who said they had tested negative include National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi, Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi.

“I took a voluntary Covid-19 test on Friday last week. The result was directly conveyed to me in person by a doctor. (I) tested negative,” said Orengo.

At the same time, Lancet Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Kalebi said in a statement yesterday that the results were issued to individual members to safeguard doctor-patient confidentiality.

Positive cases

Dr Kalebi said only the Ministry of Health was mandated to announce positive cases.

Lancet dismissed information circulating that more than 10 MPs had tested positive, terming it completely incorrect and misleading.

But constitutional lawyer Bobby Mkangi and Economic Freedom Party chairman Isaac Abbey said leaders should make it their responsibility to declare their health status for the general good of the public in combating the virus.

“I agree with Lancet that they don’t have the authority to disclose the names but the leaders should make it their responsibility to declare their status. It is helpful,” said Mkangi.

He said the disease has been stigmatised in Africa so much that leaders are not willing to come out and declare their status.

“I think there is a way we are stigmatising the condition and it is going against efforts to contain the virus. People should be willing to come out because it helps in finding out who else could have come into contact with the said person. It is nobody’s fault when you contract the virus,” he said.

Mr Abbey said MPs represent people and it is in the interest of their constituents to know their health status.

“The public interest in the pandemic overrides doctor-patient confidentiality. Otherwise, the MPs will put so many lives at risk since they interact with so many people,” said Abbey.

Reveal identities

Ford-Kenya Party leader Moses Wetang’ula had also appealed to the government to reveal the identities of all persons who have been diagnosed with the virus.

The Bungoma senator said such a decision will make it easy to trace people who might have come into contact with Covid-19 positive people.

Yesterday, Mr Osotsi said he will continue to subject himself to voluntary tests and in the event that he tests positive, he will make it public.

“As I continuously observe the guidelines issued by government, I will continue to undergo voluntary precautionary tests in the coming days. In the unfortunate event of positive results, I will truthfully and bravely make such information public,” said the nominated legislator.