CS Kagwe throws lifeline to thousands of hotel workers

Live Inn Restaurant Head Chef Mercy Fidelis Jerono prepares food during a past event at Park Inn by Raddisson Hotel in Nairobi. [Edward Kiplimo,Standard]

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has thrown a lifeline to the battered hospitality sector, allowing restaurants to serve customers after more than a month of closure.

The move is part of the plans to gradually reopen the economy, which has already shed thousands of jobs including waiters and chefs in the food and beverage industry.

Only a handful of restaurants remained open since March 23 but only offered takeaway servings, which meant customers would still seek alternative places to eat.

The restaurants will now be allowed to open between 5am and 4pm, which could mean they can serve breakfast and lunch for sit-in customers.

Implications of the relaxed rules include that some jobs would be salvaged even though it might still be too early to gauge the extent, considering the collective anxiety over public gatherings.

“Restaurants must limit the number of diners or customers to four people for every 10 square metres,” Mr Kagwe said in his briefing yesterday.

The reopening will offer reprieve to thousands of workers who will now be back to work, albeit on a lesser scale owing to the limited operating hours.

Many are employed on casual terms and their jobs ended on the day the restaurants were ordered closed. Some employers are yet to settle the March salaries.

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers Chief Executive Mike Macharia said the reprieve is a good starting point as the industry tries to balance between maintaining health and jobs.

He indicated that while the over three million jobs including waiters would hardly be replaced immediately, employers have a chance to generate some cash to pay at least part of their workforce.

“We are very happy with the relaxed rules on restaurants as we had earlier projected to review our position in May. It has come earlier,” Mr Macharia said.

He said hotels alone employ some 1.2 million people which would take longer to be recovered as the hotel business, which is essentially an accommodation service, has not been reopened.

“I think restaurants employs even more people than hotels, so it is a good place to start.”

Investors in the hospitality sector, especially those who were just setting up after procuring huge loans, can now breathe easy.

Beer manufacturers were also offered some relief after the restaurants were allowed to serve alcohol, but on condition it is consumed as the food is prepared and with a 30-minute window after eating.

The new directive might, however, be in contravention of the Mututho laws which allow restaurants and bars to serve alcohol only after 5pm.

Clubs and bars, despite being the main alcohol outlets, remain closed.