KENYAN CITIZENS SUFFERING DUE TO CORORAVIRUS PANDEMIC

KENYAN CITIZENS SUFFERING DUE TO CORORAVIRUS PANDEMIC

By Allan Chesang (African Times Guest Writer)

Disruption. That is probably the most (mis)used

word of the quarter – and rightfully so.

I bet we can all agree that with all the concerns

regarding the cataclysmic economic impact of

the COVID-19 pandemic, we are certainly

navigating unchartered waters. Our resilience is

at test and only the application of practical

solutions and realistic policies will determine

the speed of our recovery.

Together with the rest of the world, Kenyans are

grappling with the unprecedented challenges

triggered by this pandemic. Studies have shown

that on average, majority of the households in

Kenya can survive for only 4 weeks before their

savings are depleted. Yes, this is daunting …

but ‘so what?’ is the question we should be

asking. This is an appropriate time for Kenya

(and the rest of Africa) to rethink its supply

chain because that has shifted, globally. We

need to relook our industries and investments,

as well as diversify our supply chain to reduce

the risk of exposure. The initial demand for face

masks, sanitizers, Personal Protective

Equipment and ventilators took us all by

surprise but being the Kenyans that we are, we

were agile. In my view, we really did rise to the

task. Amidst all that though, the lack of

preparedness

was apparent. This leaves a big task on the way

forward for the presidents Big 4 agenda

(Manufacturing pillar). The moratorium and tax

measures outlined in the Tax Laws

(Amendment) Act, 2020 to cushion

Kenyans against the economic effects of the

corona virus is a good place to start but

Kenyans are still in distress. Tourism has

received a complete list of global shutdown

during this period and Kenya being a

tourist hub has felt the stab, since it contributes

to 8% of our GDP. But all is not lost. There is an

opportunity in every crisis, so perhaps this is

the time for Central Bank of Kenya to extend

favourable loans to hotels and allow them to do

organised renovations and improvements

during his quarantine period. This, and other

fiscal policies can go a long way in keeping our

economy afloat during and after these turbulent

times. The private sector’s response was

prompt and players stepped in to boost the

government’s efforts through the COVID-19

Emergency Response Fund and the National

Business Compact Coalition. Collaboration and

partnership with the Private sector is critical,

not only to flatten the Covid-19 curve, but even

post the pandemic. The government therefore

needs to actively engage the private

sector through Public-Private Partnerships to

bridge the gaps in development needs and

more so to tackle the shortfalls in our

healthcare system. The PPP conversation

needs to be taken seriously – especially if we

want to achieve Universal Healthcare Coverage

(UHC) by 2022.

The youth are the most affected at this time but

even so, they remain in the frontline in the fight

against this pandemic – whether in their

professional capacity or by mere social

responsibility. With the power of social media

and the viral spread of fake news, it is prudent

for us to harness the value of online community

through the internet and the social platform, as

a way of championing mental wellness,

especially at this time of social isolation.

This pandemic has also revealed the existing

inequalities in society and with it the vast

information gap that currently exists. Possibly

we should have posters all over the country to

educate the people about the myths, symptoms

and prevention from COVID-19 – we do this

every election year, so it shouldn’t be too

strenuous, right? The situation we are in is

foreign not only to

Kenyans, but to the rest of the world. How the

government will react has a high correlation to

how citizens will respond. Today it is Corona

virus, tomorrow it could be another crisis. We

should therefore not only employ survival

tactics but also

approach this with a longer-term wholistic view.

It is not time for unnecessary bureaucratic

hurdles, regulations and conditions which are

not beneficial to Kenyans and even worse, have

not been proven and tested by countries that

are even more developed. Let us learn from

developed nations

and cut our coat according to our cloth.

Kenyans are already having it rough … so let’s

not make in harder for them to adapt to this

new normal. As individuals, we can only do so

much right now – but even that is enough. We

must not despair…

we can, and we will pull through this!

(Allan Kiprotich Chesang is a commentator on social political issues and founder of Allan Chesang Foundation)