President Uhuru ends cessation of movement but extends curfew

President Uhuru Kenyatta has lifted the cessation of movement in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Mombasa and Mandera counties.

However, the President has extended the nationwide curfew currently in place between 9 pm and 5 am by another 30 days.

Speaking when he addressed the nation on Monday, Uhuru said his government has chosen health over the economy.

“My administration chose the health argument over economic argument because we can always get an ailing economy back to its feet,” he said.

” We chose the path of working with partners to build on irreducible minimums.”

Air travel is also set to resume on July 18.

Uhuru said Kenya had not yet met the minimum 100 percent.

“However after the further dialogue. We have reached a level of preparedness across the country,” he said.

“In the next 21 days, we shall study patterns of interactions. If there are any trends of worsening, we will have no choice but return to lockdown at zero option.”

Uhuru said this order to partially reopen will bear fruits if we recognize that this exercise is a shared responsibility.

“Covid-19 responsibility is not a demand placed on the self or the individual by the state. It is a duty that you individual owe your countrymen. A voluntary work of goodwill,” he added.

Uhuru has previously hinted at lifting the restrictions imposed since March. However, on Saturday, he warned of worse times ahead for the country.

On June 29, the President told a forum on US-Africa trade convened by the Corporate Council on Africa that the government would lift the inter-county lockdown in a couple of days.

Once the lockdown would be lifted, Uhuru had said, the government would allow domestic flights.

“We are going to be starting the domestic flights and this is what we will use as a trial in the next couple of days. We are opening the inter-county lockdown,” Uhuru said during the virtual forum.

The country risks more infections and deaths if restrictions are lifted in totality.