By Clifford Akumu
Kenya’s government has announced a dusk to dawn curfew starting Friday as it moves to tame the spread of Coronavirus pandemic.
President Uhuru Kenyatta while addressing the nation at State House yesterday said the daily curfew will start from 7 pm up to 5 am for all Kenyans with the exception of those providing essential or critical services.
He said that the government had taken the drastic measure after noticing how people ‘took health ministry’s directive on self-quarantine and social distancing with reckless abandon.
He singled out some Church leaders and government officials as culprits of the directive.
Kenyatta further said the country had confirmed three new cases bringing the total COVID-19 tally to 28 while other suspected cases were negative.
“Social distancing is our new way of life until we concur with this virus,” said Kenyatta. The Ministry of Interior, he added, will release a complete list of the essential services that will be exempted from the curfew.
In what he termed as a clear indication of the country’s efforts in combating the pandemic, the President said one of the patients had recovered from the virus.
But he reiterated the need to support the efforts of medical workers by reducing movement and avoiding congregations as directed by the health ministry.
Saying “Defeating this virus demands corporation and strict adherence to the laid down measures”
“As the government, we continue to monitor people who are carriers of the virus…and put them on quarantine to avoid the spread of the virus,” he added.
The government, after realizing the impending job cuts and a sluggish economy, laid out a raft of targeted state interventions to cushion citizens from the devastating shocks of the pandemic.
In a bid to protect jobs, President Kenyatta declared that he and his Deputy President William Ruto will take an 80% pay cut while the Cabinet Secretaries and Permanent Secretaries will take a 30% pay cut.
The President also ordered the Treasury to offer tax relieves to increase disposable incomes.
In recognition of the anxiety, the pandemic has caused the economy, especially those who are in lower job cadres earning below 240 USD, the government announced 100 percent tax relief.
It further sliced Pay As You Earn(PAYE) tax from 30% to 25%
And even MSMEs had a reason to smile from the directive after VAT tax on commodities was reduced from 16% to 14%.
He also stressed on the need to equip health care workers with the necessary tools even as they work on the frontline of managing the virus. While appreciating the sacrifice of healthcare workers, the head of state announced the recruitment of additional personnel to help in managing the pandemic.
A total of Ksh 1 billion withdrawn from the Universal Health Coverage kitty will be used for the recruitment program, he said.
Kenyatta further urged Kenyans to observe high levels of hygiene and practice social distancing.
“I call on everyone to wash their hands with soap regularly or using a sanitizer. Also, avoid contact with any person exhibiting flu-like symptoms,” said President Kenyatta.
