Uhuru should shut Ethiopia and South Sudan border

President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Sixth Presidential address on the Coronavirus pandemic at State House, Nairobi, on May 16, 2020
Image: PSCU

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday made a difficult, but necessary, decision to close the Tanzania and Somalia borders.

Both countries enjoy a long and porous frontier with Kenya. Tanzanians and Somalis have long cultural socioeconomic relations with their brothers and sister in Kenya. But to protect Kenyans from the corona pandemic such drastic action is necessary.

And against rising anxiety and unease over massive job losses and economic hardship, extended the nationwide curfew to June 6.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Tanzania has been on the rise because of the policy taken by the Tanzanian government of not imposing a lockdown.

The next big concern is how the government intends to reopen schools, hotels, eateries and bars.

A clear and practical plan will give people hope about their future financial and economic plans. We must start to see, albeit gradually, that life is slowly getting back to normal.

The absence of clear route to normalcy will quite easily create despair and resistance.

This is because economic life is at a standstill and the people need to start seeing a plan for the future.

Lastly, we urge the President to also consider closing the Kenya-Ethiopia as well as the Kenya border with South Sudan.