A city pastor has challenged President Uhuru Kenyatta to deploy military men if he stands a chance to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a post he shared on his Facebook page on Tuesday, March 24, Pastor Godfrey Migwi advised the head of state to declare a lockdown and release the army to enforce it considering that Kenyans had largely ignored the state's directives.
Among the amenities he advocated that should be shut down include malls, shops, markets and petrol.
"Please, our dear president, stamp your authority and shut every mall, shops, markets, and petrol stations. You need to stop every movement in towns and in villages, ferrying of people needs to stop for a while.
"Now Mr president, allow and let military force people to stay at home for at least 3 to 4 weeks to save this nation from Coronavirus," he advised.
He further challenged Uhuru to take a pay cut as well as ensure that other civil servants followed suit in order to put together a kitty to help Kenya's needy.
"My opinion before you do that sir, force all civil servants starting with you, your deputy, governors and all others to sign a salary pay cut by half to be collected by the Red Cross to help the less fortunate and those others who live from hand to mouth. Chiefs and nyumba kumi can work with the Red Cross to give food to the needy in towns and in our villages during the lockdown.
"Again the church and religious leaders need to come up with a strategy on how they can reach their needy members who attend services and always support the church with their little earnings," he added.
He was also alarmed by Health CS Mutahi Kagwe's press conferences, that he observed were tell-tale signs that the situation might get dire in Kenya if proper safety measures are not instituted immediately.
"If possible please stay at home to stop the spread of this deadly virus. Every press conference from the health CS is about numbers of infected people going up not going down, so everyone has a duty to stop the spread.
"But as we continue to fight this battle, the president needs come up with a lockdown idea which is not favourable to us but we must swallow the bitter pill for a while instead of burying our loved ones," he added.
So far, 25 Kenyans have tested positive for the virus that has claimed more than 13,000 people worldwide.
