Kenya orders lockdown in five key cities

NAIROBI Kenya

President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta has declared a cessation of movement in five counties.

This include; Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu and Nakuru counties.

The counties were put under the cessation of movement indefinitely.

"These countries are declared a disease infected area," he said during a press conference on Friday.

"There shall be a cessation of movement into and out of the infected areas."

Uhuru said this is effective midnight tonight.

The Cessation of Movement is in and out of the 5 counties (Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado) as One Zoned Area.

You can therefore move freely within the five counties. You will not however be able to leave and enter the One Zoned Area.

For example; A Nairobi resident can move freely into and out of Nakuru, Machakos, Kajiado and Kiambu counties, and vice versa.

"If you test 100 Kenyans for Covid-19, 20 will test positive. Rate of infection up 10 times," Uhuru said.

Uhuru said Kenya's Covid positivity rate has jumped tenfold from 2.6% in January to 22% in March.

This means that if you test 100 people, 20 will test positive. Worse in Nairobi, where six out of ten test positive.

"Nairobi county accounts for nearly 60% of all recorded cases. This means that out of 5 people, 3 are more likely to positive for COVID-19 disease," he said.

Uhuru said the third wave is expected to peak in the next 30 days.

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance had asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to impose stricter measure to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, KEPSA said that it had noted with concern the spike in Covid infections these last few weeks with the positivity rate now stands at a worrying 16.5 per cent.

KEPSA wants the ongoing nationwide curfew that starts at 10pm to commence from 9pm to 4am.

"Restaurants and night clubs to close earlier if curfew starts at 9pm for the next 3 weeks," the statement signed by KEPSA CEO Carole Karuga states.

The organisation has also recommended that cessation of movement in and out of five most affected counties be imposed for at least three weeks.

The five are Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kiambu and Kajiado.