Eastleigh residents protest lockdown
Hundreds of Eastleigh residents took to the streets to protest the government directive of partial lockdown in the area for the next 15 days.
On Thursday morning, area residents woke up to the reality of the lockdown imposed by the government to curb the rapid spread coronavirus in Eastleigh which has been marked as a hotspot for Covid-19 infections.
ROADBLOCKS
The roadblocks have been placed in strategic points preventing the residents from accessing estate near section three, which borders Kiambiu and Bahati.
The whole of Eastleigh, First, Second and Third Avenues, 17th, 18th, and 19th streets are all on lockdown.
Roadblocks have been mounted at three locations namely Eastleigh North, Eastleigh South and Eastleigh Airbase.
At the roadblocks, only essential service providers were allowed to go in and out of the estate. Businesses, eateries, restaurants, markets continue to remain closed, which will hurt the bustling businesses district.
But some of the residents have termed the move unfair, claiming that the high numbers of infections in Eastleigh and Mombasa Old Town – which is also on lockdown – is as a result of robust, targeted testing.
However, Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan asked Eastleigh residents to take the government measures positively as they are meant to protect them from the deadly disease.
TARGETED TESTING
“We have to follow all the measures put in place by the government as it’s for the good of the people, but we all know this will really affect the livelihood of the residents here,” Mr Yusuf told Nairobi News on phone.
He said the massive number of infections in Eastleigh is because of the targeted testing going on in the area, further stating that the situation will not be any different in other parts Nairobi as people continue with their daily routine.
Eastleigh and Old town in Mombasa have recorded a rising number of positive coronavirus cases in the last week, prompting the government to lock down the two areas.
On Wednesday, Kenya recorded the highest number of positive cases in 24 hours with 47 new positive cases of which 32 were from Mombasa and 11 from Nairobi.
In both areas, sources say, the infections are being fuelled by the culture of communal living while failing to observe social distancing.