The government on March 25 announced a nationwide curfew to be enforced from Friday, March 27, 2020, from 7 pm to 5 am. Speculation has been rife that a total lockdown is imminent in a bid to curtail the spread of the Covid-19 virus nationwide.
In a bid to calm his constituents who worry about accessing food and water, Mombasa governor Hassan Joho on March 26, 2020, unveiled a relief package to cushion the most vulnerable in Mombasa against hunger.
"Enhanced measures may have to be taken by the national government in coming days to be able to enforce social distancing. Given that most of our residents in Mombasa live on a daily wage, our people will need support for sustenance during the trying period and it is my job as the governor of Mombasa to ensure my people are adequately taken care of in case of total lockdown", said the Governor.
The programme shall impact 227,444 vulnerable households in Mombasa. The programme shall be executed with the County Commissioner's office together with the county police to set up distribution centres in all 6 Mombasa sub-counties.
The Governor issued a stern warning to food wholesalers against seeing the crisis as a business opportunity to hike commodity prices but instead should see it as an opportunity for all stakeholders to rally together to defeat this pandemic.
To ensure accountability and transparency, the Governor also announced that the project shall be driven by individuals from the private sector, with some of the committee members being Mr Abdul Samji as its chairman, with the Governor and County Commissioner as its members.
Tom Mboya primary school is the central point for in-kind donations effective immediately and the packages shall be delivered to the respective houses.
Acknowledging that the county government had a deficiency in regards to the total Ksh. 700 million target, he revealed that he had requested the County assembly through the Speaker to pass a supplementary budget of Ksh.200 million as the county government's contribution.
"We are appealing to well-wishers, our local and international partners and all companies hosted in Mombasa to mobilise resources in cash and in-kind towards the success of this project", stated the Governor.
As Covid-19 cases rise in the country, both national and county governments are being stern in enforcing social distancing to curb the spread of this virus.
The governor expressed his concerns that a lot of Mombasa residents are not heeding the advice about staying home and maintaining social distancing, even after CS Mutahi Kagwe identified the county as a potential hotspot.
Aside from the feeding program, Governor Joho also indicated that the County government has also set aside an economic stimulus package, so as to see its residents back on their feet as soon as the coronavirus war is won.
