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On February 28, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta issued an Executive Order to start preparing our country’s healthcare system for the novel coronavirus in Kenya.
Unfair criticism has been targeted at the government for its reluctance to suspend flights from China and take measures to guarantee the safety on Kenyans. As each day brings new information on what is a rapidly changing global situation, the government’s approach shows careful thought and consideration rather than knee-jerk reactions.
Timing is crucial for every decision taken at the national level, in particular with regard to responding to the life-threatening pandemics.
Rushed actions, such as suspending international passenger and cargo traffic, could result in dire economic consequences.
Many European countries and even the United States demonstrated this in recent weeks. Although they did not register cases of infection at the time, their premature steps drove down had immediate effects on consumer confidence, and the economy.
Naturally, protection against a large-scale outbreak in Kenya is important. The risks carried by the virus to our citizens should never be downplayed. However, it is vital to see the bigger picture at all times, something a president has the ultimate responsibility for.
And despite the steps our economy has made toward sustainable and steady growth, it still relies on external investments.
The government’s decision to launch a comprehensive plan of action came when the hotspots of the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea, Iran and Italy shifted the delicate balance between economic needs and risk.
Importantly, the government’s project was launched without knowledge of infected individuals within the borders of Kenya.
As the president emphasised in his Executive Order, “Kenya is a major international transport hub with 70 per cent of international passengers in transit, and there is significant threat arising from the spread of the coronavirus to Kenya from countries that have new and ongoing outbreaks.”
Flights to and from mainland China were suspended on February 28.
Fears of Chinese tourists and business travellers have drastically increased internationally, surely fuelling people’s suspicion in Kenya too.
Recognising our yearning for a degree of security and preparedness, however, the President has acted with sobriety.
He formed a National Emergency Response Committee of experts to monitor current developments closely.
He also informed the government on required actions to be taken. As the new head of the taskforce, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe was directed to create an isolation and treatment centre at Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi. Furthermore, the president ordered the establishment of 38 similar centres across the country.
His firm stance on reassuring the public ensured that the Nairobi isolation ward was completed in just one week. Since March 5, 2020, the hospital has been prepared to accept and treat the first cases of coronavirus in Kenya with 120 beds, should an outbreak occur.
The importance of setting up such isolation centres cannot be overstated. As we still have not seen the virus spread to our country, Kenya is now uniquely positioned to catch and contain a potential outbreak. Italian regional hospitals are currently struggling to treat the increasing number of patients.
Our government has learnt from the mistakes European leaders made.
With attention to detail in preventive measures, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority has already built up its supplies of face masks should the virus spread.
The depletion of face mask stocks across Europe has caused anxiety.
The government is sharing information on how to stay healthy. This will prove to be just as important in containing the virus. The government has shared information from the World Health Organization and the United Nations, which have been providing useful information on how to avoid exposure.
With an already operational treatment centre in Nairobi and numerous isolation wards close to completion around the country, Kenya is prepared to do everything to limit the effects of this global epidemic on our citizens.
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