• Governors say counties should not be forced to open since they don't have resources to manage the increasingg cases of Covid-19.
• The governors urged Uhuru to ensure the measures in place give priority to the vulnerable who are old and/or have preexisting conditions.
Governors want President Uhuru Kenyatta to extend the Covid-19 directives including curfew and cessation of movement.
Extension would allow the national government to put in place strategies ensuing the infection curve is flattened, the Council of Governors said in a statement on Sunday.
Uhuru is to address the nation on Monday and there has been widespread speculation that some restrictions will be relaxed.
The county chiefs told Uhuru that they should not be forced to open since they don't have resources to manage the increasing cases of Covid-19.
Governors said curfew hours and cessation of movement, which are part of Uhuru’s directives, should not be lifted.
“Counties with high numbers should not be forced to open without consideration of their the ability to cope. The curfew should be maintained with the current hours for as long as it takes to flatten the curve,” Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya told Uhuru at State House on June 25.
The Kakamega governor was speaking during the National and County Governments' Coordinating Summit on Covid-19.
County chiefs said the national government has failed to remit revenue to the devolved units for months, which will make it hard for them to cope with the surging numbers of Covid-19 cases.
“To date, the payments have not been effected and unfortunately, healthcare workers have now issued a strike notice that starts next week,” Oparanya said at the time.
“This is a threat to the already spiralling Covid-19 cases across the counties.”
The governors urged Uhuru to ensure the measures in place give priority to the vulnerable who are old and/or have preexisting conditions.
“We also call for a phased re-opening starting with essential but low-risk sectors where authorities and businesses can adequately ensure social distancing and apply other prescribed public health measures to ensure that the virus does not spread,” they said.
“Cessation of movement should not be lifted unless the proposed strategies are adequately implemented. The phased approach mechanism will allow our health system time to quickly identify any gaps and risk factors that the population will be exposed to.”
They also called on the state to provide a scientific model of the spread of the disease by county to inform how they will gradually reopen the economy.
The CoG said Early Childhood Development centres and vocational training colleges should also remain closed and adopt online classes until the curve is flattened.
"We further note that as at Sunday, only seven counties have not reported any positive case. Lifting cessation of movement should be done in counties which have a flattened the curve," they said.
They called on President Kenyatta to ensure a multi-agency approach is applied on disease containment by improving testing capacity; contact tracing and enforcing the social vaccine mechanisms.
“The reopening of the economy will have a county-specific context. This will consider the county-specific sector priorities and the health system ability to cope,” they said.
Edited by R.Wamochie