Bar owners appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday, August 24, to reopen pubs and restaurants citing massive losses since their closure.
Uhuru is expected to issue his state address on Wednesday, August 26, upon the expiry of the 30-day period of the Covid-19 containment measures.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya (PERAK) Executive Officer Eunice Annam urged the President to reopen bars.
"We appeal to the President, the reason being ever since the pandemic started our businesses were affected and now we have bills to pay like rent and we also had stock which has since expired.
"We really urge the government to open up bars, there are some protocols that the Ministry of Health had issued for us to reopen which we complied with but we were shocked by the decision to close," she explained.
Uhuru ordered the closure of bars on Monday, July 27, and fired a warning to anyone found in breach of the directive.
Kevin Kwere, a bar owner, asked the President to consider reopening bars for a specific window of time and also waive related taxes.
"When the Government says that bars are where people get Covid-19 you even wonder because the virus is still spreading, most of us are still paying rent and they consider a full year tax waiver to cushion us.
"The President should allow us to operate for a certain time maybe up till 9 p.m,," noted Kwere. Some of the bar owners also lamented on eateries being allowed to operate under strict guidelines yet pubs remain closed.
Covid-19 cases in the country have been on a steady decline with the country recording 193 cases on Monday, August 24 ,however, Health CAS Rashid Aman cited that the drop was tied to a shortage in testing reagents.
