This archive report was first published on 7 June 2020.
On June 6, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta delivered a long-awaited speech at State House, Nairobi, where he declared that the economy would only reopen once COVID-19 infections decreased.
According to the President, the decision to reopen the economy is not a matter of being right or wrong, but a dilemma of two rights. He acknowledged that both those who want to open the economy and those opposed to it are right, but the stringent measures taken in March were necessary to prevent a peak of 800,000 infections by the end of July.
With the current number of positive cases at 2,600, the President warned that relaxing containment measures by 20 percent would lead to 200,000 cases and 30,000 deaths by December. If measures were relaxed by 60 percent, the pandemic would peak in October with 450,000 infections and 45,000 deaths.
President Kenyatta expressed concerns that counties are not equipped to handle surging infections, citing the examples of Siaya and Busia counties, which have limited isolation facilities.
He extended the nationwide night curfew for 30 more days, starting from 9pm to 4am, and lifted the cessation of movement in Eastleigh, Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale, which will end on June 7 at 4am. However, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Mandera counties will remain on lockdown due to high infection rates.
The ban on gatherings, including political meetings, will remain in effect for 30 more days.
