MUHURI, Okoa Mombasa, and Old Town Residents Association have released a report of their survey that questions the government’s decision to lockdown Old Town due to coronavirus.
The Ministry of Health identified the Old Town, Mombasa and Eastleigh, Nairobi as epicentres.
On May 6, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe locked down and ceased movement within the two areas.
The CS did not provide scientific evidence to back his action, which impacted negatively on the economy, and social life of these areas.
Areas such as Kilimani and Kawangware in Nairobi had previously been labelled hotspots but had not been locked down.
The four-day survey started on June 1.
It wanted to find out residents’ views on Covid-19, and what indicators on the ground could have suggested to residents that Old Town was an epicentre as suggested by the CS. Further, the survey sought to assess the impact of the lockdown on Old Town, particularly in relation to the provision of basic needs.
One of the findings is that out of 1,015 responses, 96 per cent (953 respondents), did not know anyone who had died of Covid-19.
Some of 987 respondents (95.5 per cent) said they had not tested for coronavirus.
Read the full report
Read the factsheet (English)
Read the factsheet (Kiswahili)
