NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 7 – The inbound and outbound ban on Kenyans from four counties seen as coronavirus hotspots has caught many Kenyans off guard, more so those who wanted to retreat upcountry amid harsh economic times in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
John Wanyama, a boda boda operator in Nairobi, was planing to travel upcountry on Tuesday when Capital FM met him.
The declaration of cessation of movement into and out of Nairobi by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday forced Wanyama to cancel the plans.
“This lockdown was implemented so fast and we wete not even give time to plan ourselves. Life in Nairobi is no longer sustainable and that’s why I wanted to go to my village in Kakamega,” Wanyama said.
Denis Onyango expressed frustrations saying he had lost his job after the restaurant he was working at was closed.
He wanted to go back to his wife and children in Kisumu.
“I was working in a restaurant which is now closed. I have no money to keep me here and my family is in Kisumu. I would want to go back home to stay with my family as we wait for the way forward. The President should have given us like two to three days before this lockdown,” Onyango lamented.
James Kuria, a conductor, said the president should have imposed a total lockdown all together to contain the virus.
George Owino, a businessman, however expressed support for the partial lockdown saying there is no need to lockdown the whole country yet the coronavirus cases have not been reported in other counties.
“I think if it is lockdown, it should be the whole country not just some counties. That way, we will be able to contain the disease may be in those 21 days but locking down some parts it’s like punishing them, yet no one wants the virus to affect them,” Kuria said.
The counties affected by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive are Nairobi whose ban took effect 7pm on Monday, April 6, and Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale where the 21-day cessation of movement into and out of the respective counties will take effect on Wednesday.
The country has so far recorded 158 infections with 6 deaths and 4 recoveries.
The global pandemic has so far claimed 74,820 lives and infected over 1.3 million others.
Some 286,762 have recovered.
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