This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
Kenya's COVID-19 situation has taken a turn for the worse, with several counties staring at the possibility of lockdowns barely 10 days after movement restrictions were lifted in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Mandera.
Counties such as Kajiado, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Bungoma, Machakos, Taita-Taveta, and Busia are at risk of being locked down if their infection rates continue to rise, with their leaders preparing for the worst-case scenario.
The Council of Governors has warned that it may ask President Uhuru Kenyatta to take action if the situation does not improve.
"Should the situation get grim, individual county governments will...in consultation with the President, seek to lock down the regions to contain the spread of the virus," Council Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.
President Kenyatta had earlier warned that he might reintroduce restrictions "at zero-option" if the situation deteriorated.
As of yesterday, Kajiado had 538 cases, with Governor Joseph ole Lenku warning that the region's 450-bed capacity isolation centers and 20 ICU beds might be stretched if the numbers rise rapidly.
The county's proximity to Nairobi and the porous border with Tanzania have contributed to the rise in cases, with 80% of infections recorded in Namanga.
Other counties such as Uasin Gishu, Busia, and Bungoma are also at risk of being locked down, with leaders attributing the rise in cases to truck drivers and the exodus of Nairobi and Mombasa dwellers to the countryside.
Reporting by Stanley Ngotho, Phyllis Musasia, Onyango K'Onyango, Barnabas Bii, Brian Ojamaa, Mwangi Muiruri, James Murimi, Regina Kinogu, Rushdie Oudia, Benson Amadala, Vitalis Kimuta, Dickens Wasonga, and Ian Byron.
