President Uhuru Kenyatta in his 14th address to the nation extended the nationwide night curfew for a further 60 days effective midnight Friday.
“Nationwide curfew is hereby extended for a further containment of 60 days and in that regard, all bars and restaurants and other establishments opened to the public shall close by 9 p.m.,” said President Kenyatta.
The order follows a spike in the number coronavirus infections in recent days with fears that hospitals could be overwhelmed.
To further contain the spread of the virus, the President banned all political gatherings in the country for the next one month and ordered the National Police Service to enforce the measure.
“All forms of political gathering are hereby prohibited for a period of 30 days effective March 12, 2021,” added the President.
Funerals in the country will be conducted within 72 hours of death confirmation and will be limited to only 100 close family members. This order also applies to weddings.
Economic stability
To provide business continuity, the curfew will exempt essential service providers, including construction runners who run night shifts.
The president reiterated that the economy remained upbeat in 2021, projecting it would grow by 7 percent, thanks to bold decisions that were taken in the year 2020.
Kenyatta holds that were it not for the measures his government took, the Kenyan economy could have contracted by 15 percent in 2021
“Despite the COVID plunge our economy is likely to bounce back and grow by approximately 7 percent in 2021. If we had not made the bold decisions of 2020, as is projected, our economy would in 2021 have contracted by 15 percent.”
The President was flanked by the Council of Governors, chairperson and Embu Governor Martin Wambora who said the decisions taken were keen to see that the country remained on the right path to contain the spread of the virus.
