Frantic hours were experienced on Friday evening in different parts of Kenya as Kenyans rushed to beat the 7 pm curfew deadline. Many towns were vacated or close to empty by 8 pm with only police officers patrolling streets, however, it was not rosy for many Kenyans especially in big cities like Nairobi as many were stranded, with PSVs nowhere to be seen, avoiding the last evening trips. In Nairobi city, queues could be seen,with passengers stranded for hours, even past the 7pm stipulated time. Some of the residents faulted their employers for releasing them late from their workstations and called for an extension of the curfew time from 7 pm.
In Mombasa, residents who were looking to board the Likoni ferry were harassed by police officers, more than an hour before the curfew time. A journalist was also caught in the fracas. Kenyans reacted angrily to the situation, calling out police officers for using too much force to enforce the law.
The curfew notice was issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday as one of a raft of measures to deal with the spread of the Coronavirus, effective Friday, which will be enforced daily from 7pm to 5am,until further notice. On Friday, Police IG Hillary Mutyambai warned that Kenyans should remain indoors past 7 pm, and Health CS Mutahi Kagwe noted that social distancing rules were flouted during evening and night hours, impeding the fight against the Coronavirus spread.