Kenyan flower farms shake off coronavirus closures

Kenyan flower farms have started reopening, offering hope to thousands of workers who had been laid off or furloughed.

Kenya is the world’s fourth largest exporter of cut flowers and earns around $1bn (£820m) every year from the industry.

But it has been badly hit by a global fall in demand for flowers leading to farm closures and huge job losses.

With many countries in Kenya's key markets now emerging from lockdowns introduced to deal with the spread of coronavirus, the flower farms have started to slowly reopen reengaging thousands who had lost their jobs.

This will also be a significant boost for a struggling economy, paralysed by the virus.

Over the weekend, the government extended by 21 days strict measures to try and contain the spread of coronavirus.

It has already put in place a stimulus package that includes tax cuts on basic goods and incomes but these have failed to cushion the blow for millions of poor and unemployed Kenyans.