The Kenyan Government on Wednesday evening issued a clarificatrion after reports of a looming total shutdown dominated social media platforms.
Government Spokesman Colonel (rtd) Cyrus Oguna said reports of a possible shut down were false and advuised Kenyans to get verified information relating to the coronavirus from his office or from the Ministry of Health.
"There is information on social media of a possible lockdown in Kenya. The information is false, misinforming & causing panic. Don’t consume such content whose source can’t be verified. Let us remain calm, & only consume information from @MOHKenya or @SpokespersonGoK," Oguna stated.
Earlier in the day, Nakuru CBD became the first Kenyan jurisdiction to be placed on lock down as the national government partnered with the county government to fight spread of the coronavirus.
Kilifi County has since issued a partial lock down that shut down all the Economic Processing Zones (EPZs) in the county, all markets, and all factories with the exception of those manufacturing essential products.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has been under pressure to declare a total lock down in the country for at least 14 days to help prevent spread of the virus.
The speculation has since Kenyans in panic buying mode with the fear that a lock down would lead to shortage of essential products, particularly food-related items.