This archive report was first published on 23 July 2020.
Published on July 23, 2020, a day when Kenya's Covid-19 cases neared the 15,000 mark, it was clear that many Kenyans had thrown caution to the wind.
Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and Kasipul MP Ong'ondo Were were among those who fell foul of the law, being fined Sh15,000 for reckless behavior.
Despite the soaring infections, many Kenyans continued to flout health guidelines, failing to wash their hands or observe social distancing.
Police officers, tasked with enforcing the guidelines, appeared tired and frustrated, with some even profiting from or violating the rules they were meant to enforce.
Markets, bars, lodgings, and bus terminuses in Nairobi, the country's coronavirus epicentre, continued to operate as usual, with matatu operators and passengers often failing to wear face masks.
Commercial sex workers, for example, complained that they could not afford to sanitize their clients or maintain social distance, while others said they would rather die of hunger than stay at home.
Unlicensed bars operated openly in the full glare of police officers, with Nairobi Regional Commissioner Wilson Njega saying that the responsibility of containing the disease lay with the individual.
Residents in other counties, including Migori, Siaya, and Kisii, also flouted Covid-19 safety regulations with impunity, with passengers stuffed into matatus and taxis, and markets teeming with crowds of traders and buyers.
Funeral ceremonies in Nyanza witnessed huge crowds, with police officers watching helplessly as men, women, and children mingled freely without face masks.
Health officials expressed concern that a relapse could be devastating for high-risk counties like Migori, where over 215 cases had been reported.
Traders in various counties, including Bondo, Ugunja, and Kisii, continued to go about their business without masks, while revellers in Kisii County locked themselves in bars and boda bodas operated without masks.
Officials in Vihiga suspended market days but traders returned to the largest trading outlet in the county, while in Kakamega, handshakes and hugs were back, especially at the town's main bus terminus.
Donated water tanks in Homa Bay town had run dry, with the chairman of the Homa Bay Giants Traders Association saying that nobody was taking responsibility for filling the tanks or buying soap.
Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o blamed locals for disobeying social distancing and other guidelines, while in Nakuru, restaurants that served as stopovers for buses and matatus could become virus incubators.
Hotel traffic had been high since President Uhuru Kenyatta eased the cessation of movement restrictions, and youths crowded movie shops and miraa-chewing places in Maralal, Samburu County.
