President Uhuru Kenyatta has lifted the Covid-19 curfew saying the national infection rate had declined significantly over the last fortnight to below 5 per cent.
The President thanked Kenyans for exercising an admirable degree of civic responsibility in the fight against the disease and urged them to continue observing the Ministry of Health protocols sustain the gains the country has made towards the full re-opening of the economy.
“I particularly want to thank our inter-faith council for their co-operation in steering the resumption of in-person and congregational worship and all our health workers and security officers for their commitment to duty,” President Kenyatta said.
The Head of State spoke at the Wang’uru Stadium in Kirinyaga County when he led the nation in celebrations to mark this year’s Mashujaa Day, a national holiday marked in honour of Kenya’s independence heroes.
The President said a progress report given by the National Emergency Response Committee on Covid-19 and the National Security Council led to the review of the existing containment measures.
“Accordingly, the number of persons gathering for in-person worship is reviewed upwards from one-third of the congregants to two-thirds provided that they adhere to all health protocols as directed by the Government,” he said.
At the same time, the Head of State announced the rollout of a new fiscal stimulus programme geared towards accelerating the country’s economic growth.
He said the third stimulus programme that takes effect from November 1st targets key product and service sectors in 14 strategic interventions that cover agriculture, health, education, drought response, policy, infrastructure, financial inclusion, energy and environmental conservation.
“With significant progress registered in the containment of COVID-19, it is now time to shift our focus from survival to co-existing with the disease. In that regard, my Administration will be rolling out the third financial stimulus programme designed to accelerate the pace of our economic growth and to sustain the gains already made,” the President said.
