By Andrew Wasike
NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Kenya’s president announced the immediate lifting of a nationwide coronavirus curfew Wednesday at an event honoring those who contributed to the nation’s independence struggle.
“By the authority vested in me as president, I hereby order and direct that the nationwide dusk to dawn curfew that has been in effect from the 27th of March 2020 be and is hereby vacated with immediate effect,” said Uhuru Kenyatta in an address to the nation on Mashujaa Day, also known as Heroes' Day, as thousands applauded and cheered.
“I want to thank the people of Kenya for exercising an admirable degree of civic responsibility in this fight and truly being their brothers' keepers,” Kenyatta said, noting that as of Wednesday, Kenya had vaccinated 5 million adults and the country had recorded an all-time low positivity rate of below 5%.
While leading the East African nation in celebrating Mashujaa Day, Kenyatta honored the country’s health workers and security officers for their role in fighting and containing the spread of COVID-19.
Kenyatta said that one of the unintended benefits of the pandemic is that Kenya has increased its intensive care unit (ICU) capacity by an impressive 502% from 108 to 651 ICU ready beds and the total hospital bed capacity as a country has increased by 47% from 56,069 in 2013 to 82,291.
During the pandemic period, Kenya has also improved its oxygen generation capacity at public health facilities from 3 million liters per day in March 2020 to 32 million liters per day in October.
Kenyatta said that given Kenya’s progress in containing COVID-19, the number of people allowed to gather for in-person worship has been revised upwards from one-third of congregants to two thirds, as long as they adhere to all health protocols.
-Kenya-Somalia maritime dispute
On Oct. 13 Kenyatta rejected a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that gave Somalia a large chunk of territory that Kenya said it owned in a maritime border dispute.
The UN court largely sided with Somalia in the sea border dispute with Kenya. Although Somalia did not get what it wanted, the court’s decision awarded it most of the disputed territory, which is rich in oil and natural gas.
During his Mashujaa Day speech, Kenyatta said that Kenya will protect what was left behind by the heroes who liberated the country as those who are alive right now were charged with the responsibility of safeguarding Kenya’s territorial integrity.
“Since the dawn of our Republic, on many occasions, we have experienced territorial aggressions to the sanctity of our borders. Some have been driven from within and others from without. But the message of our Founding Fathers to these aggressors was simple: Not an Inch Less; Not an Inch More. And this is the message that must reverberate across the collective quarters that are bent on annexing any part of the territory known as the Republic of Kenya.”
Present as the chief guest of the celebrations was Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera and his delegation who are on a three-day state visit to the country.
“Kenya’s joy is Malawi’s joy. The struggle for independence in our countries was a fight against the same foreign oppressor, a battle fought in the same decade,” Chakwera said.
“By celebrating this day together, we reignite the solidarity created by our founding fathers.”