Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has given hotels the go-ahead to sell alcohol to their guests but only in their private rooms and not in public spaces.

He communicated this on Tuesday in a letter to Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers CEO, Mike Macharia, who had sought the ministry’s advice on the matter;

“The President’s announcement on the sale of alcohol was clear that alcohol should not be sold to the public in hotels/restaurants to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. However, after consultation with the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Health, serving of alcohol can only be served in private and in their rooms and not in the public domain.”

President Uhuru Kenyatta banned alcohol in eateries and restaurants across the country and directed all bars to be closed indefinitely as one of the measures of trying to avoid transmission of COVID-19.