Something is not right in our handling of Covid-19 crisis

This bothers me. The first case of Covid-19 in Kenya was announced on March 13.

Here we have a pandemic that has affected every part of the world, arriving in Africa a little late but giving us valuable information beforehand.

The numbers are steadily rising in Kenya, with new infections reported in the communities. We have been told constantly that the best way to avoid infection is by washing our hands with soap and clean running water. Kenyans have rallied around their areas of expertise to help mitigate the effects of the coronavirus.

In two weeks, Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) had come through with testing kits that can be used for mass testing.

Bio-engineering students had produced a ventilator; ICT students had created a system for contact tracing.

We have seen crude hand-made foot-operated contraptions that can be used to wash our hands properly. Teachers and students in the tailoring industry have taken up the duty of sewing face masks in every county for mass distribution.

In the case of Kenya, there is plenty of soap and toilet paper, with supermarkets still open daily. The emergency fund has received billions of shillings in contributions from individuals, organisations and the private sector.

The country has received so much rain that our dams and lakes are overflowing, and the rivers have broken their banks.

But still, even in the densely populated urban settlements, we remain fixated on washing our hands with water from temporary, labour-intensive jerrycans!

Here are the questions running through my mind: do we have engineers in Kenya who work in the water sector?

Are there hardware manufacturers who could have donated piping equipment to the Covid-19 fund — to connect clean water to users more conveniently, and on a permanent basis?

Instead of inviting water cartels to register (and, therefore, pay tax), shouldn’t every MCA be looking for a permanent solution to water scarcity by supplying running clean water to their neighbourhood?

Shouldn’t our leaders — political and administrative — be organising resources for putting together some contraptions to provide running potable water to sinks with appropriate drainage?

Shouldn’t every county government be working round the clock to harvest rainwater and store it for future use?

Must we start from zero the next time we have a pandemic or even a lesser disaster? Haven’t we learnt anything yet?

Esther K. Mbithi, Nairobi

During this time, when the students are at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, parents should ensure their safety.

We should also stay warm and take other necessary safety precautions during this rainy season as that will also keep away other infections, such as colds.