This archive report was first published on 11 May 2020.
On Monday, a group of Eastleigh residents took to the streets to protest the restriction of movement in the area, appealing to the government to provide them with relief food.
The residents' livelihoods have been severely affected since the 15-day cessation of movement in the area came into effect on May 6, 2020, leaving them with no means of earning a daily income.
Eastleigh Business Community General Secretary Ahmed Noor pointed out that shop owners are counting losses due to the lockdown, but it is the employees who are feeling the pinch, as they have nowhere else to fend for themselves.
Mr. Noor called on the government to carry out targeted mass testing across Nairobi to establish the true picture of the spread of the coronavirus in the capital and help combat it.
He argued that targeted mass testing will help in tracing people who work in Eastleigh but live in other areas in Nairobi.
Area MCA Osman Adow also raised concerns that many people who depend on Eastleigh for their livelihoods risk starvation with the lockdown.
“We are not fighting the lockdown but I think our officers stationed at the various border points should be instructed to allow vehicles ferrying foodstuffs in and out of Eastleigh to pass because if they ground them then this will put area residents at risk of starvation,” said Mr. Adow.
Eastleigh, popular for its shopping malls, great eateries, and cafes, and a teeming population, has registered more than 67 cases of coronavirus.
