The Laikipia County has licensed 75 hotels to re-open for business after meeting the laid down requirements in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The County Executive Committee (CEC) member for Trade, Tourism and Cooperatives, Biwott Tirop said that the county government had embarked on speedy issuance of such permits to scale up the recovery of the local economy as businesses gear up for reopening of the economy countrywide.
“This step is set to address the possible strain on the limited food establishments with the easing up on the travel restrictions into and out of the lockdown counties, as the requirement to observe social distancing remains in force,” Tirop said over the weekend.
He added that the departments of Trade and Health have converged operations that have seen faster processing of permits for food outlets, turning an otherwise lengthy process into a smooth one that has seen more dealers get clearance certificates within a shortened period.
The new Ministry of Health directives have made the process longer and more stringent in the wake of Covid-19. However, in Laikipia, interdepartmental collaboration has facilitated the convergence of health and other allied compliance processes that would have taken hotel operators and food handlers longer to fulfill.
Laikipia County Trade department has been reaching out to hotels and eateries to take advantage of the new and convenient experience to acquire the certificates in readiness for heightened compliance.
Hotel operators seeking medical certificates can now get all the services at the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital, where medical inspection, payment and issuance of the certificates is done under one roof.
By Martin Munyi
