The Mombasa county government has vowed to prosecute residents and traders who fail to adhere to directives in the fight against Covid-19.
Governor Hassan Joho and county commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo announced three new areas of adherence.
In a signed statement by the county’s emergency response Covid-19 committee, they directed the closure of all mitumba businesses with immediate effect.
This will be a blow to Kongowea traders who have been selling their wares after their counterparts selling food were relocated or barred from the market.
The county also introduced water rationing to redirect supply lines to households, slums and hospitals.
“With the closure of some factories, and slowing down of business by some Export Processing Zones, we expect to have their water supply re-directed to other needy areas, especially the informal settlements where water is scarce,” said Mudhathir Abdulkarim, the county director of communications.
This will be a big relief for women in slums such as Kaa Chonjo, Muoroto, Kisumu and Ndogo who have suffered the pain of having to look for the commodity miles away.
On Monday, Collaboration in Women Development executive director Betty Sharon sent out an appeal to the county government to ensure women access clean water as lack of it possess a challenge and acts as a weak link in the coronavirus fight.
joho and Kitiyo directed EPZs to reduce the number of staff and strictly adhere to national and county government directives.
In Kilifi last week, Governor Amason Kingi ordered the closure of all factories, industries and mining firms as a way of curbing the spread of the virus.
Edited by Henry Makori
