Kenya detains hundreds for defying curfew rules

The authorities in Kenya have put 455 people in quarantine facilities after they defied a curfew imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.

They had warned that violators would be held at the facilities at their own cost, after a rise in arrests of people in pubs and house parties.

There have also been claims of people bribing police to be allowed through roadblocks in and out of restricted towns, which include the capital, Nairobi.

Kenya has 33 active quarantine centres.

Health Minster Mutahi Kagwe announced in his briefing on Monday that the government was putting up an isolation and treatment centre exclusively for health workers.

All costs will be covered by the government with support from medical organisation Amref and the Rockefeller Foundation, he said.

Mr Kagwe also said four more Covid-19 testing kits had been approved for use in Kenya, as the country rolls out mass testing.

Kenya has confirmed 281 Covid-19 cases and 14 deaths.