This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in Kenya, the government has raised concerns over a new trend of crime involving young people who are exploiting the situation to commit robberies and extort money.
Operating under the guise of enforcing pandemic measures, such as social distancing and face masks, some youths have been targeting people in informal settlements, mainly in Nairobi.
According to Health Ministry's Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Dr. Rashid Aman, security agencies are on high alert to apprehend the perpetrators.
“We must do what we can to contribute to this fight, rather than do things that will spoil the experiences of combating this disease,” Dr. Aman said on May 13, 2020.
He emphasized that demanding money from people is not only unacceptable but also unlawful, and urged the youths to refrain from such practices.
Dr. Aman also commended the youths who have been participating in a program aimed at empowering them economically, citing cleaner streets and unclogged drainage systems as some of the gains.
As of May 13, 2020, the country had reported 737 new cases of COVID-19, with the death toll standing at 40, including four new fatalities in Nairobi and Mombasa.
