Muslims ask government to adjust curfew hours during Ramadan
The Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) now want the government to consider extending the curfew hour from 7pm to 9pm during the Holy month of Ramadan.
Speaking during a press conference of Friday in Mombasa CIPK organising secretary Sheikh Khalifa Mohammed said that this will allow Muslim to participate fully in the holy month according to tradition.
Ramadan, a month during which Muslims observe dawn to dusk fasting, is expected to begin a few days to come.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims also usually meet in mosques and visit each other in their houses to break the fast together.
But Shekh Khalifa says Muslims will be breaking the fast at 6:30pm in Mombasa and 30 minutes is not enough for Iftar.
“Tuko hapa na Seneta wetu Mohammed Faki na mbunge wetu Abdulswaamad kwa malengo wapeleke ujumbe wetu rasmi kwa serikali sisi waislamu nchini kenya. Ya kwamba jambo la kwanza tunashukuru serikali ya Jubilee tangu iingie madarakani wamekuwa na desturi ya kila mwaka kupatia waislamu chakula na pia kuondosha ushuru katika tende,” said Sheikh Khalifa.
He added: “Jambo la pili tumewaambia waheshimiwa hawa wawili wakifika kwa bunge la senate na la taifa, ni kwamba mwezi wa Ramadan maskini wengi ambao sasa wamekuwa ni mafakiri walikuwa wanategemea ufadhili kwa ndugu zao, marafiki zao kupitia kwa futari. Leo magharibi inaingia saa kuma na mbili na nusu, kufuturu huwezi kufuturu kwa nusu saa. Watu hawa walikuwa wanakula misikitini na kupitia kwa ndugu zao. Tungeomba idara ya usalama na idara ya afya waweze kupunguza wakati wa kafyu waweze kuweka saa tatu au saa nne ikiwezekana.
However Mombasa governor Hassan Joho has asked Muslims to adhere to the government set measures since these are extraordinary times and things cannot be as they used to.
“I am used every day of Ramadan to have my iftar with hundreds of people, that is what I do, that is my practise. And it pains me that probably this Ramadan it won’t be the same, and I understand, I wish it could be different but it is not,” Joho said.
The government imposed a 7pm to 5am curfew to help contain the movement of people which they say is the main cause of the spread of Covid-19.