Kenya confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 12, 2020. Since then, the Ministry of Health has confirmed a cumulative total of 98,432 cases of new infections, 81,255 recoveries and 1,716 deaths as of January 12, 2021. The initial response by the Kenya government was to implement a range of policy measures in efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. These included:
- Restricted movement of people;
- Countrywide dusk to dawn curfew;
- Ban on dense crowds of more than 100 persons;
- Closure of universities and schools, restaurants and other entertainment spaces, and some open-air markets, which are managed by county governments and hence the discretionary to close only some of them;
- Ban on all inbound and outbound international flights restricted cross-border movement of people and;
- Mandatory testing of drivers of vehicles transporting cargo over long distance.
