This archive report was first published on 6 July 2021.
On July 6, 2021, State House announced that President Uhuru Kenyatta's Ukambani tour would resume, albeit with scaled-down activities, following the deferment of the initial presidential working tour of the region.
The tour, initially set to start on July 6, 2021, and visit Kitui, Machakos, and Makueni counties for two days, has been rescheduled to allow for a more cautious approach in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement from State House, the delegation will be led by former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, Kitui County Governor Charity Ngilu, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua, and other leaders serving in both Houses of Parliament.
"The presidential engagement will be conducted in full fidelity with the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health," the statement read.
President Kenyatta acknowledged that a surge of infections had compelled a number of African countries to institute full lockdowns in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19 within their borders.
"The meeting also observed that in light of new variants of COVID-19 which are deadlier and more communicable, a number of Kenya's regional neighbours had introduced heightened containment measures," State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena wrote.
