Migori Senator Ochilo Ayacko has warned that he foresees a situation where Kenyans could kill police officers over curfew enforcement.
Speaking during the special Senate sitting on Tuesday, March 31, Ayacko warned that the curfew currently in place was not a one-fit-all solution for all the counties in the country and was thus pushing some Kenyans to the tipping point.
"Without debating the legality or illegality of the curfew which is in court, I don't think it's possible to have a one-fit-all solution for this country. You cannot think that a curfew that is applicable in Nairobi is applicable in Migori or Mandera." Ayacko stated.
He took the example of his county and others in Nyanza where he stated that the 7 p.m. to 5 a.m, curfew was affecting residents who depend on fishing for a living.
"In Migori and most counties in Nyanza, we depend on fishing, fishing is done at night. I try to wonder this person who suggested a curfew for the nation... what activity do people do at night that bring crowds.
"In these counties, we have poor widows who are looking after families. These widows sell fish and fish is only purchased between six and nine o'clock at night.
"They do not have savings or anything to eat. We are imposing curfews on them yet they have children crying at home, and orphans that they are looking after.
He insisted that the government should identify the activities done at night that were contributing to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and ban them instead of locking people down and preventing them from doing things that feed them and hoping that they will cooperate.
"You cannot just lock people down and you cannot prevent them from doing things that feed them hoping that they'll be able to cooperate. I'm foreseeing a situation where after 5 or 10 days we will have people killing police officers.
"We do not want to deal with one problem which is likely to escalate to another. This committee must find a mechanism of urging the Executive government to engage counties and find out what kind of curfew can work in each county.
"We must be able to take care of the lives and the livelihood of the people or else we will deal with very angry people," Ayacko concluded.
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