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published on 27 October 2020 | reading time approx. 7 minutes
It is now 7 months going into 8 months since Kenya confirmed its first case of covid-19. The Government has during this time taken radical measures to contain and manage the pandemic. These measures include robust testing, contact tracing, treatment response and applying lock down measures especially in key counties namely Nairobi and Mombasa.
As of 25 October 2020, Kenya has recorded approximately 49,721 confirmed cases of covid-19, with 902 associated deaths. On a positive note, there have been approximately 34,209 recoveries. It is worthy of note that the relaxation of the lock down measures towards the end of the month of September, 2020 has led to the improvement in the economy but unfortunately with an increase in the number of infections.
In response to the pandemic, the Ministry of Health issued Interim Guidelines on Management of covid-19 in Kenya that made recommendations for comprehensive prevention and case management strategies. The guidelines gave comprehensive recommendations on infection, prevention and control, patient triage, emergency medical services, case management and laboratory testing algorithm. Further, the President issued directives gradually that led to the closure of learning institutions, businesses and markets, cancellation of social gatherings, movement restrictions, supervision of burials and reduction of crowding at hospitals.
With a view to re-opening the economy that had largely suffered for close to 6 month's lockdown, on 29 September 2020 the President issued the following directives that are currently in force. It is worthy of note that the directive on education is undergoing changes:
The above notwithstanding, it is clear that the President together with the Ministry of Health may move to make further directives with a view of managing the effects of the pandemic on businesses and also the general health of the public.
Several tax measures have been decided by the Kenyan government in order to cushion the affected individuals and businesses from the negative impact of the covid-19 outbreak:
The President of Kenya assented to the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act, 2020 on 25 April 2020 thus bringing into force the above amendments to various tax laws.
The Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (the Directorate) published the Occupational Safety and Health Post-covid-19 Return to Work Advisory (the Advisory) on 29 June 2020. The Advisory provides the basic requirements to all workplaces in Kenya to keep workers returning to work on the re-opening date and thereafter safe and healthy, and for both the employer and employee to work to prevent the spread of covid-19 in workplaces. The Advisory requires employers to, inter alia:
On 17 March, the Central Bank directed banks to waive bank fees for individuals who move money between their bank account and mobile wallet came into effect. The upper limit for mobile money transfers by SMEs was also increased with a bid to reduce the physical contact with physical notes and coins. On 18 March, authorities reached a deal with commercial banks to restructure nonperforming loans caused by covid-19 layoffs etc.
The Central Bank has so far adopted policies to ensure that the interbank market and liquidity management across the sector continues to function smoothly. The Treasury also announced a $5 million package to support the tourism industry.
In developing a post-covid-19 economic recovery strategy by expanding opportunities for local enterprises, the government issued a list of compulsory items for local procurement to promote the "Buy Kenya Build Kenya" initiative. An example of this is the production of masks locally. The growth of ecommerce flourished and more innovation has been experienced in this space thus boosting business for both small and medium enterprises to large enterprises.
The Courts have quickly adopted they use of technology by introducing virtual court sessions which have proven quite efficient. We also have on board the e-filing of documentation that has become well established and is improving at a remarkable rate. Government Authorities have also adopted technology, thereby reducing the backlog and the queues that have been a nightmare for the public for years.
The international flights to Kenya resumed beginning 1 August. However, there are strict requirements for travelling to Kenya: Travellers arriving in Kenya must carry a PCR test with them which was taken a maximum of 96 hours before their arrival in Kenya. Travellers cannot have a body temperature above 37.5° C, and there can be no cases of persistent coughing, respiratory problems or other flu-like symptoms.
Before departure, travellers must fill in a Travellers Health Surveillance Form on the website of the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority. This form contains a QR code which is scanned on arrival by a customs clerk. The form is used for passengers that only started displaying coronavirus symptoms when the flight already took off.
On arrival, travellers from certain countries must spend 14 days in quarantine. Travellers from countries of which the Kenyan government believes that the risk of spreading of the coronavirus is low to average do not need to go into quarantine. There are currently 147 countries included in this list. Each day, the Kenyan Health Department makes a new assessment of the risk profile of these countries.
On 30 June, the Cabinet Secretary of Sports, Culture and Heritage, Hon. Amb. (Dr.) Amina Mohamed appointed the Resumption of Sports Advisory Committee to draw up protocols for the resumption of sporting activities in Kenya following the covid-19 pandemic. The General Guidelines spell out the safety measures to be taken during the sporting events.
The Guidelines issued are expected to be reviewed from time to time as the covid-19 Pandemic evolves. As it stands, sports federations across the country are finding it hard to meet the stringent covid-19 safety measures, as the Ministry of Sport pushes all federations to submit a calendar of events for the year 2021.
The seven-month covid-19 imposed closure of schools finally came to an end on Monday, 12 October 2020 when a section of learners resumed classes. This is after the press release issued by the Ministry of Education which announced a phased reopening of schools, starting with the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) Grade 4, Class Eight and Form Four candidates. Education Cabinet Secretary, Professor George Magoha said the revised 2020 school calendar will see the second term for Grade 4, Class Eight and Form Four run for 11 weeks from 12 October to 23 December. Learners will then break for a one-week holiday, from 24 December and resume on 4 January, 2021, up to 19 March. The Kenya Certificate of Primary of Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams that are ordinarily taken at the end of every academic year (usually in October/November) will for the first time be taken in March 2021.
Schools offering the international curriculum had also been directed by the Ministry of Education to offer in-person learning commencing 12 October 2020. Consequently, international schools initially reopened for final year and key transition years/grades, with all other year groups due to resume on 26 October 2020. However, the covid-19 positivity rate has since spiked from 5 percent at the time of the announcement to 14 percent currently. This has forced the Ministry of Education to postpone further re-opening of other year groups and grades as they work out a mechanism for reclosing and reopening schools to stem the resurgence of community transmission. As it stands, the resumption of other year groups apart from final year grades has been vacated as the Kenya Association of International Schools continues to engage the Ministry of Education to ensure proper adherence to covid-19 health guidelines.
The press release issued by the Ministry of Education highlighted the covid-19 guidelines and protocols to be adhered to by the learning institutions.
There seems to be a major desire from both the government and the private sector to get back the economy on its feet. From a high level analysis, there seems to be a huge compliance of health measures by businesses.
On 3 September the Forbes Magazine listed Kenya among countries open for both tourism and business. It has been reported that the tourism sector is slowly returning back to business with an increase of persons traveling for pleasure both local and international.
While it is too early to confirm full recovery of the economy, it is safe to say that Kenya is indeed in the process of recovery from an economic perspective. There are available and growing business opportunities in Kenya, but the same can only be pursued subject to compliance with relevant directives and guidelines.
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