Good morning fellow Kenyans,
It is yet another day where we await our Head of State to address the nation on the COVID 19 situation in the country.
President Uhuru Kenyatta announcing the return of the partial lockdown will not come as a surprise, the country having recorded a shocking 960 new coronavirus infections on Sunday.
With the virus attacking popular persons like politicians, celebrities and journalists, Kenyans no longer have the luxury of the ignorance of hiding behind the “I’m yet to hear of a person I know who has been infected.”
It is time to wake up and smell the coffee or in this case, the sanitizer!
Onto other matters, political temperatures in the country are starting to rise again, thanks to the current revenue sharing formula impasse at Senate, that has shaken the famous Uhuru-Raila Odinga Handshake.
We can, therefore, take comfort in the fact that even if we return to the lockdown today, at least our leaders will entertain us for several days as they once again re-align into new camps. The politicking ought to also distract us from us the real problem at hand, and help us forget that the government has apparently made an order for 100,000 body bags in preparation for COVID-19’s worst-case scenario!
Meanwhile, here are the stories making headlines on Opera News today:
Senior Govt Official Hints on Uhuru’s Position on Lockdown Ahead of Monday’s Crucial Meeting
In the wake of surging cases of COVID-19 in the country, President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to meet the Council of Governors on Monday.
The President will chair the virtual Extra-ordinary session of the National and County Governments Coordinating Summit to review the surge of COVID-19 infections in the country.
But even as the two levels of the governments meet to deliberate on the matter, Kenyans will be eagerly waiting to know the fate of the lifted cessation of movements in some counties.
Why Governors Want Nairobi, Mombasa Back on Lockdown
President Uhuru Kenyatta is today expected to decide whether to give in to pressure from governors to put Nairobi and Mombasa in a new lockdown or opt for the country’s economic recovery by leaving them open.
Also on the cards by the governors, is a push for the government to reconsider the re-opening of eateries and bars to contain the spiralling number of Covid-19 infections with yesterday’s 960 cases being the highest the country has recorded in a single day so far.
At the same time, sources told People Daily that the government is contemplating having Covid-19 patients admitted in public hospitals to shoulder the burden of their bills.
Ruto Allies Wooed by Uhuru, Raila Camps in Revenue Allocation Battle
Deputy President William Ruto’s allies are likely to determine the conclusion of the stalemate in the Senate over the third basis for revenue allocation, with the next debate set for Tuesday, July 28.
The formula by the Commission for Revenue Allocation (CRA) has caused a sharp split over its focus on population and county functions, meaning that populous counties generally gain in terms of distribution of the Ksh316 billion fund while historically-marginalized counties lose out.
It has blurred factional and party lines with leaders keen to defend their counties, posing the biggest threat yet to the March 9, 2018 handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga.
With ODM and the Kieleweke faction of Jubilee seemingly about to suffer a major fallout, do you think there is a possibility that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s differences with his deputy, William Ruto, will be overtaken by events, and the two will end up on the same side in 2022?