Kenya Coronavirus (COVID-19) 28 April 2020 – an update from Barnabas Coronavirus Emergency Network

Eastern India

From the principal of a missionary training college

“We have been receiving heavy rains and people planted maize crops and others but as we speak they have all been washed away by floods because of too much rain. In some parts of the country, people are displaced and in some villages others lost their lives and some of the bodies have not been recovered yet about three weeks now. This means that harvest will not be as good as it was expected. Because of the floods … the country is threatened with hunger if the rain continues as it is right now

“The government response to coronavirus is very encouraging as they have managed to secure isolation and treatment facilities in all major county hospitals across the country. As of now more than half of the 47 counties in the country have been affected with confirmed cases of COVID 19. This has also made the government to restrain movement from one county to another to help minimize the spread especially from the two major cities/counties of Nairobi and Mombasa which according to statistics are leading with positive cases. Current reports from the ministry of health indicate that we have 363 confirmed positive cases out of which 114 have recovered and have joined their families while 14 have since died. The government imposed this intercounty travel ban for 21 days which elapsed a week ago but due to the increase in daily positive cases, the president announced another 21 days. Also we continue with a dark to dusk curfew which limits the hours people are allowed to operate. As explained it has had great impact on every Kenyan as many small-scale business owners have been rendered jobless and on equal measure many household breadwinners have lost their livelihoods and the situation is dire. The government has however tried to come up with a fund to help those who cannot support their families specifically with providing food but it has only benefited a few as we speak.

“Churches continue to be closed and pastors are really suffering as much as their Christians who cannot access the online spiritual help pastors try to send to their Christians. Churches and some Christians have tried to support with the minimum they can but the situation is not very good.

“Challenges facing me spiritually is that I am wondering when this situation will come to an end so that we go back to normal operation. it is really disturbing me and I find myself sometimes asking God for how long?

“ The threats to the church in my region is that we are faced with the loss of the significance of church attendance by some members who discover that they can do church online, the giving to support God's work will be significantly reduced and the young generations will find it less important to connect with Church after Corona is finally gone.”