• Many employees have been compelled to take pay cuts whereas others have been sent on unpaid leave
Life has become unbearable for many slum dwellers and homeless Kenyans owing to health measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, a report shows.
The report of a two-week survey by the United Nations Human Rights and the Social Justice Centres Working Group says that prices of basic commodities have increased by at least 10-20 per cent across eight counties after the first positive Covid-19 case was announced on March 13.
“Costs continued to increase after the imposition of a night curfew. The basic commodities include sugar, maize flour, rice, bread, milk, vegetables, soap, paraffin and cooking gas,” the report says.
The survey was conducted between March 24 and April 7.
It sampled 1,518 households in Kakamega, Nairobi, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, Mombasa, Vihiga, Kiambu and Kisumu counties.
The findings indicate that most vulnerable groups cannot access water and sanitation facilities.
“Only approximately 33 per cent of households surveyed in Nairobi’s informal settlements have access to public water sources. However, the frequency of water supply is at low levels and erratic,” the report says.
It highlights human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by security officers on homeless families, slum dwellers and commercial sex workers.
“Following the imposition of a curfew on March 27, there were increased cases of sexual harassment of women and girls by police and county security officers (askaris),” the report says.
Covid-19 has caused economic and social difficulties as many Kenyans try to adjust to the impacts of the global pandemic.
The government has imposed various restrictions including a dusk to dawn curfew and restriction of movements in and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties. The counties have the most cases of coronavirus.
Many employees have been compelled to take pay cuts whereas others have been sent on unpaid leave as companies feel the heat.
Businesses, most of them informal, have also closed shop due to reduced sales, a situation exacerbated by reduced working hours due to the countrywide curfew.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday announced the government will spend Sh8.5 billion to distribute food and a weekly stipend to needy households in informal settlements to cushion the vulnerable families.
Various private sector players and individuals have also visited informal settlements to donate essential items including foodstuff, hand sanitisers, face masks and soap.
However, the report recommends that more needs to be done to secure the lives of millions of vulnerable people.
“There is a need to support a moratorium on evictions due to non-payment of rent or default on mortgages. Explore the provision of emergency housing and services for the homeless,” they said.
Edited by Peter Obuya