President Uhuru Kenyatta has raised the number of people allowed to attend weddings and funerals from the current 15 to 100.
President Kenyatta however cautioned that all attendees of these functions must adhere to the laid down COVID-19 protocols provided by the Ministry of Health.
The Head of State, who spoke in his Address to the Nation at State House in Nairobi on Wednesday, said the change was brought about by consultation with the Inter-Faith Council.
“In accordance with the recommendations of the Inter-Faith Council, the maximum number of persons permitted to attend funerals and weddings is reviewed upwards to 100, with all in attendance abiding with Ministry of Health Protocols,” he stated.
President Kenyatta also formally announced that the ban on importation of mitumba has now been lifted stating that, “details of how this will be operated and the protocols for the same will be announced by the Government tomorrow (Thursday).”
He directed Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i, in conjunction with Council of Governors (CoG) Chair Wycliffe Oparanya, to convene an inclusive National Consultative Conference to review the country’s national and county response to the pandemic and chart Kenya’s post-COVID-19 future within three weeks.
He also tasked Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and the CoG Chair to constitute a National Reference Group on COVID-19 to review the efficacy of Kenya’s response to the pandemic so far.
“The group should record lessons learned and feed them back into the sector nationally and in counties. The group should formulate strategies to identify institutional weaknesses within the healthcare system at both tiers; recommend ways to increase the representation of the County Governments in the Boards of Healthcare Agencies, and recommend ways in which our national responses to healthcare emergencies can be improved,” said the President.
He further added: “The National Reference Group on COVID-19 should position healthcare as a driver of our manufacturing agenda by ensuring that preference is given to local manufacturers in the procurement of pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceutical products.”