This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has extended the nationwide night curfew for 30 more days, a move aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
According to the President, the curfew will now start from 9pm to 4am, a change from the previous 8pm to 4am, to enable businesses to operate for more hours.
The new order takes effect on June 7, 2020, and will remain in place until July 7, 2020.
However, the cessation of movement in and out of Eastleigh, Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale will end on June 7, 2020, at 4am.
President Kenyatta made the announcement in an address from State House, Nairobi, where he also lifted the order restricting movement in and out of the four counties, citing a slowdown in infection rates.
"I have applied my mind to the different scenarios presented by our experts. And I have reconciled myself to the fact that to ‘open’ or not to ‘open’ up is not a dilemma between a right and a wrong. It is a dilemma between two rights," he said.
However, Nairobi Metropolitan will remain on lockdown with restricted movement in and out of Nairobi County, which continues to record high infection rates.
President Kenyatta also announced that schools in Kenya will re-open at the beginning of September, after closing for five months due to COVID-19.
He directed the Education Ministry to consult with Health experts to come up with a new calendar by mid-August, with the aim of resuming progressive normalcy in the education sector by September 1, 2020.
