The End of Curfew? Here is What is next!

Where were you when the end of curfew was announced? I was on my way to work, yes 20^th October was a day to remember. I remember being reluctant to listen to the president’s speech. Another day of extension of the curfew, I thought! When the news was confirmed, I didn’t know how to react. I was happy and overwhelmed. What do you think will change during this time?

To clarify, we are not yet out of the woods with Covid-19. It is still fundamental for you to keep safe. Get the vaccine if you can. What does the curfew being lifted mean to you? There are a few things that I observed during this period. Let us touch on some things that Kenyans don’t want to talk about.

The Economy will improve

Let me break it down to you. Do you know that 7 in 10 Kenyans lost their source of income? According to a personal survey, I was able to note that most people had either been relieved of their duties or had to be paid half of what they were earning. In the service industry, the few people who were able to retain their jobs were not able to work full time.  We saw the fall of most events’ companies because social gatherings were restricted at that point.

Depression

During the curfew, most people stayed inside their houses due to the Covid-19 restriction. Of course, you wouldn’t want to contract the virus, would you? Well for the better part of it, most Kenyans even chose to relocate to their country side, ‘ushago’ to be with their family in these hard times. A review of mental health response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya by the International Journal of Mental Health Systems showed that the country has no formal mental health response plan, and there is an unmet need for psychological first aid.

Break -Ups and relationships

According to allafrica.com “The official stated that divorce rates have risen from 10 per cent in 2019 to 40 per cent in 2021.He attributed the increase to those getting into marriage at a very young age and are unable to shoulder the responsibilities that come with such unions” The divorce rate was reportedly high during this time. So many families broke during this hard time. We all know that money can be a challenging topic in any relationship. I have personally heard a story about how someone was left by the wife when he lost his job during this period. I am sure most of you have observed such occurrences around you.

Conclusion

As much as we would like to look at the negative aspect of the curfew, we can all acknowledge that there have been so many positive outcomes such as reduction in road accidents, prevention of the spread of Covid-19 Virus and growth of the Social Media usage in Kenya through the rise of content creators, just to mention a few. What change did the curfew bring to you?