The chairman of Kenya's senate committee overseeing the government's response to the coronavirus crisis has quit the post after police said he flouted an overnight curfew to enjoy drinks with others in a Nairobi bar.

“I will bear responsibility ... I apologise to Kenyans and I will face the full consequences of the law,” Johnson Sakaja, who represents Nairobi county and is a close ally of President Uhuru Kenyatta, told reporters.

Police said Sakaja was caught in the early hours of Saturday morning drinking with about 10 others, long after a 9 pm-4am curfew had set in. He is the first Kenyan official to lay on his sword after breaking the myriad lockdown rules.

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