Kakamega Health CEC Peninah Mukabane. /PENINAH MUKABANE/XThe county government of Kakamega has banned open-air cooking and hawking of food across the county.
In a circular to public health officers, acting health executive Peninah Mukabane said the move is aimed at protecting the public from foodborne illnesses.
The ban affects open-air cooking in public areas such as markets, urban centres, trading centers and public events, open-air display and sale of cooked food and hawking of cooked food in all areas within the county.
“The county government of Kakamega is issuing a public notice banning the following activities in an effort to protect public health and minimise the risk of foodborne illnesses,” the notice dated January 15 reads.
The notice was copied to Governor Fernandes Barasa, chief officers medical services, county public health officers, directors of medical services and all subcounty public health officers.
The notice did not, however, disclose whether there was specific threats related to open-air cooking and hawking of cooked food in the county.
The ban comes four years after a countrywide ban that was imposed against open-air food vending to check the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus.
The new ban is likely to lead to confrontation between public health officials and residents as most cooking at funerals in Western region is done in open-air.
A Public health officer in the county told the Star that they were not aware of any public health threat in the county that may have necessitated the ban.
"It is unclear why the notice because this is what we are doing as public health officers. What we need is to ensure cooking is not done in open-air but in some designated areas by people who have been certified by public health officers as being medically fit to do this," a public health officer told the Star in confidence.