This archive report was first published on 24 August 2020.
As Kenya awaits President Uhuru Kenyatta's state address on Thursday, August 27, bar owners are urging him to reopen pubs and restaurants, citing massive losses since their closure on July 27.
According to the Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya (PERAK), the closure has affected their businesses, with many having bills to pay, including rent, and stock that has since expired.
PERAK Executive Officer Eunice Annam appealed to the President, saying, "We appeal to the President, the reason being ever since the pandemic started our businesses were affected and now we have bills to pay like rent and we also had stock which has since expired."
Bar owners are also asking the President to consider reopening bars for a specific window of time and waiving related taxes. Kevin Kwere, a bar owner, noted, "The President should allow us to operate for a certain time maybe up till 9 p.m."
Some bar owners have also lamented that eateries are allowed to operate under strict guidelines while pubs remain closed.
Despite a steady decline in Covid-19 cases, with the country recording 193 cases on Monday, August 24, Health CAS Rashid Aman cited a shortage in testing reagents as the reason for the drop.
File image of a man holding a glass of alcohol.
