Kenya:Surge in Covid-19 cases forces Uhuru to convene special sitting with the Governors

By Samuel Ouma

President Uhuru Kenyatta has convened a summit between the national and county government leadership to premeditate on the rising cases of Covid-19 in the country.

The session will take place on Friday, July 24 according to the information from the State House.

In a press statement issued by the State House spokesperson Kanze Dena, the session will be used to assess the counties’ state of preparedness in the fight against the virus which has been reported in 44 out of 47 counties.

The leaders will also reassess the Covid-19 guidelines and review the impact of phased easing of the virus restrictions such as lifting of cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi, Mombasa and Mandera counties.

“The session will consider the evolution of the disease and the medical models on how Covid-19 may propagate within our country over the months of August and September,” the statement reads in part.

Some of the containment measures include dusk to dawn curfew, hand sanitizing, social distancing, regular hand washing with soap and wearing of face masks in public places.

On July 6, the Head of the State announced phased re-opening of country lifting up restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the new virus that has so far caused over 600,000 deaths globally.  Churches, mosques, hotels and bars were given green light to start operating after being shut down for four months.

“By reopening (the three counties), we must be cognisant of the fact that we are much more at risk when the restrictions were in place. We must exercise cautious optimism,” said the president in a televised address.

Domestic flights also resumed on July 15 and international flights are expected to recommence on August 1.

The summit comes barely a week after the county bosses through the Council of Governors (CoG) Wycliffe Oparanya threatened to lockdown their units following the rise of Covid-19 cases.

“In the event that the situation gets dire, individual county governments will have no choice but in consultation with President Uhuru Kenyatta, seek to lock down the affected county to contain the rapid spread and protect lives,” the CoG warned.