This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
Kenya's Lockdown Easing Dilemma ¶
As of July 6, 2020, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta is facing a difficult decision on whether to ease lockdown rules, which have been in place to contain the spread of COVID-19. The national government is prepared to lift restrictions, but only if county governments agree to take responsibility for managing and treating infected individuals.
Conversations between the national government and county governors are ongoing, with governors being asked to agree on how people would move between counties and take responsibility for managing and treating infected individuals. However, there is a general acknowledgement that the level of preparedness in counties is low, despite the fact that they have been given money for the task.
The Kenyan government has agreed that churches, mosques, and other places of worship would remain closed until protocols and systems for protecting congregations are in place. On education, it has been agreed that candidates will resume studies in September, while other students will reopen after January.
Experts have advised that infections must be contained and headed downwards before any measures are relaxed. The health system must be prepared to deal with a surge in infections, and the State's security machinery and health authorities must have enough capacity for contact tracing.
A combination of interventions, including a ban on social gatherings, closure of educational institutions, restriction of movement, border controls, suspension of flights, night curfews, partial or complete lockdowns, and use of face masks in public, have substantially slowed down the transmission of COVID-19.
However, the ripple effect on the disruption of the economy and social livelihoods has been colossal. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that Kenya's economy is expected to shrink for the first time since 1990 by 0.3 per cent courtesy of the coronavirus.
Dr. Andrew Were, President-elect of the Kenya Medical Association, said the President is in a catch-22 situation, where leaders, especially in the developing world, have to rethink whether or not to sustain the punishing lockdowns without risking an economic catastrophe, especially for their poorest citizens.
