This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
Uhuru Sets Conditions for Reopening Economy ¶
President Uhuru Kenyatta has informed governors that the decision to reopen the country's economy will be based on the level of preparedness by devolved units to respond to COVID-19 infections.
Speaking during a virtual meeting of the national and county governments coordinating summit, the President emphasized that the decision will largely be determined by the counties' capacity to effectively respond to new cases of COVID-19 imported into their territories.
"County readiness to respond to new imported cases of infection will largely determine our national readiness to reopen the country as a whole," the President said.
The President's statement comes as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. In a progress report presented by Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, it was revealed that counties had attained a total of 6,898 isolation beds against the national target of 30,500 units.
According to the report, 12 counties had met the 300 per county isolation beds threshold while 34 devolved units were on course to meet the target within the month.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, however, cautioned against reopening the economy before the response preparedness threshold agreed upon is fully met, citing the rise in COVID-19 infections in the country.
Deputy President Dr William Ruto supported the President's proposal for the progressive reopening of the economy and urged counties to speed up the implementation of COVID-19 containment measures.
