Political gatherings banned as part of Covid-19 containment measures - President Uhuru Kenyatta

President Uhuru Kenyatta has banned political gatherings in the country as part of the new Covid-19 containment measures.

He announced that the strict measure would take effect immediately.

In an address from State House, Nairobi, the President stated that the meetings had become one of the prime modes of infections over past months.

"Cognizant that the propagation of the coronavirus disease within our borders has been fueled by political gatherings and large social gatherings, I direct that all forms of political gatherings be and are hereby prohibited for a period of 30 days, effective midnight on this 12th March, 2021.

"The escalation or de-escalation of the containment measure in regard to Prohibition of Political Gatherings is dependent on whether the national endeavour to break the chain of transmissions will have been achieved," the President stated.

It remains uncertain what qualifies a meeting to be categorized as "political" given that Deputy President William Ruto hosts a number of events under the guise of empowerment fora and fundraising events.

The announcement could also see a number of politicians arrested as campaigns for upcoming by-elections heat up.