MP protests as Eastleigh, Old Town locked down

Bustling Eastleigh in Nairobi and Old Town in Mombasa were locked down yesterday, as leaders demanded a rescue package to support traders and residents who will be affected.

They called the move unfair, claiming the high numbers of infections in the two areas was a result of robust targeted testing.

Hundreds of police officers, the majority of them in plain clothes, are expected to enforce the 15-day lockdown. There is no getting into or out of both places.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan said the closure would devastate the economy of Eastleigh and demanded a rescue package.

"People have been told to choose between death and life. If they have chosen life then you need to support them," he said.

Eastleigh has turned into the epicentre of Covi-19 in the city with 70 cases while Old Town had 64 by last night.

"Eastleigh has been under focus because we have mobilised people for successful mass testing. It is not an indication that the burden is higher than in other parts of Nairobi with low testing," Yusuf added.

However, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe told the Star they have not stopped movement of uncooked food into the estate.

Such food will be sold in shops, supermarkets and licensed markets.

"So people will still be able to buy food. We have not stopped that," he said.



However, the ministry closed open markets, restaurants, eateries and malls for the next 15 days.

The Ministry of Health said the decision to lock down the two areas was made by the National Emergency Response Committee.

The order took effect yesterday evening at 7pm.

The Star learnt the National Police Service had already mobilised hundreds of cops to man all possible routes to both estates.


However, movement within the estates will be allowed.

The government will continue with the targeted mass testing that commenced on Friday.

"I support the decision if it is made through sound scientific evidence according to WHO (World Health Organisation) standards," Yusuf said.

He said about 200,000 people move in and out of Eastleigh daily for business.

Eastleigh Business Community also termed the lockdown unfair.

"If they did the testing in Gikomba, they would probably find more people. But in the last one week there was consistent testing in Eastleigh," said said the business lobby executive member Ahmed Mohammed.

Yesterday, Kagwe defended the closure saying residents of the areas had failed to observe public health precautions.

“As I alluded to yesterday, we have identified some epicentres where the numbers have continued to grow. The situation in these areas continues to raise concern,” Kagwe said.

He also announced the cost of targeted testing and quarantine facilities will now be met by the government.


“These measures are not intended to punish the affected residents. However, they are aimed at ensuring that the disease is identified. Isolated and contained,” he said.

The number of positive cases in the country now stands at 582 after 47 more cases were confirmed by the ministry in a day.

The 47 were from 1,564 samples tested in a day.

Eight more people were discharged from the hospital, bringing the total number of patients who have successfully undergone treatment and recovered at 190.

The new cases are aged between eight years and 75 years, which comprised on 31 men and 16 women.

Out of the total confirmed cases, 32 are from Mombasa and 11 from Nirobi.Busia recorded two cases while Kiambu and Kwale had one case each.

Two more patients passed away in Mombasa bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 26. According to the ministry, the two aged 68 and 72 years passed on at home.

Other areas in Nairobi that recorded a case yesterday were Kasarani with two while Kibra, Umoja, Dandora and Karen recorded one case each.

In addition to the containment measures in Mombasa, truck drivers leaving the country for the neighbouring country will have to be tested at least 48 hours before they leave their area of departure.

Making the announcement yesterday, Transport CS Macharia Kamau said the directive will also apply to drivers who will be going into Mombasa Port, Nairobi and Naivasha ICD.

They will not be allowed to carry transit goods until they provide a COVID-free certificate.

“That is important because by the time they get to Malaba they have to show the certificate that they are COVID-19 free and that will be mandatory,” Kamau said.

The certificate will be valid for only 14 days after which they will be required to be retested and the certificate renewed.

In addition, the number of workers at the port has now been cut to 4,000 from the initial 6,200 with the target by the government to cut it further to 3,500 in the coming days should the situation fail to improve.

The port has been identified as one of the hotspots after at least two employees died and several others got infected with the virus.

Only the core functions will remain at the port. This will include offloading of cargo from the ships, and also loading cargo onto the ships for export.

The rest of the staff will be required to stay home, including those aged above 58 but are in core business departments.

To help boost social distancing on trains, the government in the past weeks provided 40 additional commuter trains at Mombasa to help ferry passengers, with data showing that at least 40,000 people use the commuter trains on daily basis.

The 40 will boost in the social distancing measures on the coaches as outlined by the ministry.

Anybody boarding the train will have to go through the sanitizer tunnel to get sanitized and to make sure that they don’t carry the virus into the train.

Macharia said Likoni ferry has been another area of high risk and a brand new ferry which arrived in the country on April 25 will be commissioned today to start operations.

“Therefore there will be no excuse whatsoever for people not to ensure social distancing.”

In a bid to boost the economy, the government is in talks with 12 other airline companies to be able to complement the two freighters owned by Kenya airways.

This will make sure that the 350,000 jobs in the flower sector, fresh produce is actually be sustained.