This archive report was first published on 7 July 2020.
Kenya: President Kenyatta Shifts Burden of Covid-19 Responsibility to Citizens ¶
On July 6, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the lifting of restrictions on movement in and out of Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Mombasa, and Mandera, after three months of a partial lockdown.
However, the President shifted the burden of responsibility in the fight against Covid-19 to Kenyan citizens, urging them to protect themselves, their families, and their communities from surging coronavirus infections.
According to the President, it is now up to individual citizens to take responsibility for their health and the health of those around them, as the economy takes precedence over the health crisis.
The decision is likely to see an exodus of Kenyans from urban centers to rural areas, transporting the disease to the villages, as they escape the pain of spiraling joblessness in towns.
President Kenyatta cautioned that the lifted restrictions would be reinstated should there be a spike of Covid-19 infections in the next 21 days.
"The order to re-open is given conditionally, should the situation deteriorate and pose a challenge to our health infrastructure, it shall be clawed back," he said.
He also directed that places of worship should begin a phased re-opening, where congregants must not be more than 100 people per service, and that Sunday schools and madrassas should remain closed.
Additionally, the President extended the ban on political and social gatherings for another 30 days, and directed the ministries of Health and Trade to establish protocols for the resumption of the importation and sale of imported second-hand clothes.
