Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has announced that he will be launching a cash relief program for hotel and entertainment workers who have lost jobs following the new Covid-19 restrictions imposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke on April 5, Owino regretted that the hospitality industry in Nairobi had ground to a halt with many left in despair.
“These Kenyans are now unable to feed their families. So many breadwinners are now jobless. Homes are breaking apart due to financial strain. Suicide rates among young men are higher than ever before,” he said.
The special financial support program is expected to help jobless hospitality industry workers in Embakasi East Constituency get a monthly cash donation.
In order to qualify for the support, one is required to register at the constituency office in Donholm opposite Donholm Primary School.
To register, affected residents will need their national IDs and the office will be open Monday to Friday between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.
“My office will then process the applications and kick off the support program as soon as possible. May God see us through this difficult time! God bless Kenya,” he concluded.
Since the government initiated the countermeasures to prevent the spread of the third wave of Covid-19, including dawn to dusk curfew and cessation of movement in five counties, many Kenyans have requested the government to also provide relief programs.
Restaurants and entertainment spots have been forced to close down rendering thousands of waiters, waitresses, chefs, bouncers, disc jockeys and other workers in the entertainment industry jobless. This industry employs thousands directly and indirectly.
“We have a problem in the hospitality sector, we are also likely to have a problem in the entertainment sector and we will look to see how we can work together to support some of these sectors,” Kenyatta said on March 31.
“But that has to be on an issue-by-issue basis because when you talk about tax you talk about the whole country. We will have to look at wherever measures that can specifically apply to within particular counties,” he added.
The Central Bank of Kenya has also noted that it will continue monitoring the effects of the containment measures and stands ready to act if the situation worsens.
“If things turn out that additional measures are needed because the situation has worsened, then the Monetary Policy Committee and other authorities and policymakers stand ready to deal with that,” CBK Governor Patrick Njoroge said.
