March, 2nd 2021 – The association of pubs, restaurants, and entertainment PERAK is now calling on President Uhuru Kenyatta to relax some covid 19 containment measures in order to revive the ailing sector.
PERAK national chairperson Michael Muthamia says that the current curfew has affected their businesses across the country. Muthamia further said it was unfair to crack down on their businesses during curfew hours and allow the politicians to hold gatherings every day.
Muthamia said, “It has become increasingly evident that the infection rates are not wholly determined by the fact that this or that sector is in operation. As they have been climbing over the past three weeks even with bars and restaurants operating on reduced hours.
He added that “We believe that we have now learned to live with the pandemic and it’s time to allow all sectors of the economy to fire up their engines once more and resume the work that will enable Kenya to achieve its ambitions.”
PERAK Nairobi chairperson Francis Mbogo decried the loss of jobs for their staff due to the closure of many restaurants in Nairobi in the last year.
He said, “The actual affected number of Kenyans is more than 1 million. When you consider that each of these workers support a minimum of five people. The entertainment industry supports an entire chain of other sectors, such as taxi operators, boda boda operators.”
Fresh produce suppliers representative Nderitu Macharia narrated how the curfew hours has affected the farmers who cannot sell their products due to reduced time of operation for the entertainment industry.
President Uhuru is expected to issue new measures to contain the spread of COVID 19 after the lapse of 60 days measures that he ordered in the beginning of the year.