This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
Uhuru Commends African Leaders on COVID-19 Response ¶
President Uhuru Kenyatta has commended African leaders on their efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the continent's relatively better performance compared to other regions.
Speaking during a webinar on post-COVID-19 reconstruction organised by the African chapter of the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP-Africa) on Saturday, July 4, President Uhuru Kenyatta praised the measures taken by African leaders to protect and save lives, despite the continent's limited resources.
"Africa has responded to COVID-19 much better than most other parts of the world, particularly when you consider its relatively weaker resource base," President Uhuru Kenyatta said.
He noted that for a continent with 1.2 billion people, Africa had recorded about 400,000 confirmed cases and just over 10,000 deaths, which was about 15% of the cases in the United States and 7% of US deaths.
However, President Uhuru Kenyatta warned against complacency, which he said could lead to a full-blown crisis in the continent if caution was thrown to the wind.
"We need to actively prepare for the looming crisis. Let me, however, hasten to add, that there is no room for complacency," he said.
The remarks came as the country hopes for the reopening of the economy on Monday, July 6, when the president is expected to review current COVID-19 containment measures.
Among measures citizens hope will be lifted include the 9pm-4am curfew, cessation of movement into and out of the expanded Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Mombasa and Mandera counties.
However, hope of reopening the country has over the past few days dimmed following the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
