President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday has directed the National Treasury to utilize the $18 million recovered from corruption to scale up interventions against the coronavirus pandemic and to support the most vulnerable members of society especially in urban areas.
Kenyatta said an additional 10 billion shillings ($93 million) had been set aside to assist the elderly, orphans and other vulnerable populations through cash-transfers by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, to cushion them from the adverse economic effects of the outbreak.
He called on Kenyans to strictly adhere to protocols set out by the Ministry of Health so as to stem the spread of the respiratory illness in the country.
The Kenyan leader said measures so far taken by the government are aimed at ensuring citizens continue with their lives in the wake of the fast spreading infectious disease.
Kenyatta, who spoke on a wide range of measures taken by his government to ensure that Kenyans live their lives as normal as possible said, a total lockdown of the country is the last option on the table noting that if the public follow the regulations put in place so far, then Kenya would not need to go that route.
“We understand our people better. We know that a majority of Kenyans depend on daily activities to earn their livelihoods therefore we don’t need to lockdown the country as long as we can strictly adhere to the measures already in place,” he said during an interview with a local vernacular station.
On the measures taken on Monday by the government to stop the movement of people into and out of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, the president said it was necessary to do so to cut out the spread of the disease to the rest of the country.
He said Nairobi having the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, had become the epicentre of its outbreak in Kenya.
Kenyatta on Monday announced 16 more cases of people who tested positive for the virus, bringing the national total to 158.
JK/as/APA