He chose the Labour Day holiday to reopen Nairobi and the other four adjacent counties that had been in lockdown for a month, to realign the curfew with the national one and above all to reopen, after more than a year since their closure, all bars, pubs and meeting places that are not necessarily restaurants. President Uhuru Kenyatta spoke during the 1st Mat Celebrations.
The new provisions will come into force at midnight today.
Bars, however, will have to close at 7 p.m., i.e. three hours before the start of the curfew, which will still be at 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. Restaurants, on the other hand, will be able to close shortly before the curfew, but will have to strictly observe the rules of spacing and try to maximise outdoor spaces (even if the rainy season creates some organisational difficulties).
"The data from our experts," explained the President, "show a positive trend in the areas that we put into isolation on 26 March 2021. After one month of isolation, in fact, the incidence of Covid-19 in the lockdown counties has dropped by 72%."
Kenyatta also confirmed his Education Minister George Magoha's decision to reopen schools next Monday, May 10, and the reopening of places of worship, in strict compliance with the restrictions.