This archive report was first published on 23 August 2020.
On August 23, 2020, the government of Kenya took a significant step to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by appointing a taskforce to develop a self-sustaining model for COVID-19 compliant market stalls and mobile market models.
The taskforce, dubbed 'Keep our Markets Open', is chaired by Prof Suki Mwendwa and is expected to submit its report to the Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia within the next 30 days.
The committee's terms of reference include developing a strategy to keep markets open in major urban centers in compliance with public health standards, soliciting views from the public and interest groups, and submitting interim and final reports to the CS.
The closure of most markets in March has had a devastating impact on the economy, with the Central Bank of Kenya indicating that up to 75% of small and medium enterprises were at risk of collapsing as of June.
Even with some counties allowing only open-air markets to operate, livestock markets along the Kenya-Tanzania and Kenya-Somalia borders remain closed.
