Forced isolation of wife irks man

A middle-aged man in Ol-Kalou town has resorted to wearing sack cloth to protest the forced quarantine of his wife for 14 days at Nyandarua High School. 

Joseph Mathenge said police arrested his wife after she returned from Migori County where she had travelled to purchase food stuff for sale.

Speaking at the JM Kariuki Memorial Referral Hospital, Mr Mathenge vowed to go on hunger strike to protest the arrest.

Jane Njeri, a mother of two, is a retail trader at the Ol-Kalou fresh produce market and had travelled to purchase wares, oblivious of what was awaiting her back home.

Mathenge said his wife visited Silale village in Migori County to pick sweet potatoes for sale. 

However, when she returned she was summoned to the Ol-Kalou Police Station and was later placed under quarantine.

The man said Migori is not a hotspot for coronavirus and wondered why the police made that move.

“I fail to understand why she was summoned by the police and later put under quarantine. I will fight for my rights and have her released,” he said.

Business rivalry

Mathenge alleged business rivalry since prior to Njeri's arrest, he had been informed by another woman at the market that she would be quarantined once she returned from the trip.

“There are some traders colluding with the police to have her victimised as a result of business rivalry. The government should be held responsible for this,” he said.

Mathenge said efforts to seek audience with the Nyandarua County Police Commander were futile.

He wants his wife to be screened for coronavirus to justify her stay at the quarantine centre.

Contacted, Nyandarua County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich promised to address the matter.