This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
On Saturday, June 6, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the extension of the lockdown in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Mandera by 30 days, as well as the nationwide curfew, in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The President, however, relaxed the curfew hours, which will now run from 9pm to 4am, starting from June 7, 2020.
Despite the initial optimism that the lockdown would be lifted, President Kenyatta acknowledged that the decision to extend it was not taken lightly, citing the need to balance competing interests and prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases.
According to the President, if the country were to relax the interventions by 20 percent, it would lead to 200,000 infections and 30,000 deaths by December 2020.
President Kenyatta also lifted the cessation of movement orders in Kwale and Kilifi counties, as well as in Eastleigh and Old Town, effective from June 7, 2020.
