Kenyatta urges harmonized COVID-19 protocols ahead of AU Summit

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks during a past event in Nairobi, Kenya. /Photo courtesy: State House - Kenya

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to come up with harmonized COVID-19 protocols ahead of the African Union Summit scheduled for February 2021.

Kenyatta said the protocols aimed at ensuring participants' health safety would determine whether the meetings are conducted virtually or physically.

"The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention should give protocols that they think will ensure participants are safe and that will determine whether we will have virtual or physical meetings," he said.

Kenyatta made the remarks on Thursday evening during a virtual meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly of the AU Heads of State and Government and chairpersons of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

The meeting was convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who is also the Chairperson of the AU, to discuss the modalities of holding the 34th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, the 38th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 41st Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee of the AU.

Other leaders who attended the meeting include Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, Mozambican President Felipe Nyusi, Rwanda President Paul Kagame and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.

By Friday, Africa had reported more than 2.59 million COVID-19 infections and over 61,000 deaths, according to data published by the Africa CDC.