A weighty matter that requires a weighty decision. We must acknowledge that the government has done all that it can to ensure Kenyans are well protected from the pandemic. Starting from awareness to instituting measures and directives Kenyans had to and are still following, the fight has been a tough one in fighting an invisible enemy. President Uhuru Kenyatta has led the country in a spirited fight that involved a lot of sacrifice that came with a cost, all for the country’s health and safety.
The President has the lives of Kenyans in his hands as he has to put into consideration their health and economic livelihoods that have both been affected in equal measure. From setting up a Covid-19 fund to mobilizing Kenyans to work in unity and cooperation, the President ensured that all the necessary teams have been set up and redirected the country’s efforts. It has been a time of total cooperation from all sectors of the economy within the governance structures as well as the private sector and within Kenyan communities and neighborhoods.
Kenyans must understand that all the efforts put in place boils down to personal responsibility right from following the four key principles set out by the Ministry of Health including social distancing, the use of hand sanitizers, use of face masks, maintenance of thorough hand hygiene and general hygiene among other preventive measures from this horrid disease. The good thing is a great percentage of Kenyans have heeded to these measures put out by the Ministry of Health but there are yet again those who take things casually andbnot adhering to the rulesand thereby derailing the government’s efforts in curbing the spread of the virus.
At this point in time, counties have worked their way in attaining the 300-bed capacity set out by President Uhuru Kenyatta which are meant to create room for any eventualities of a surge in infections of our hospitals which are currently getting overwhelmed with the number of cases currently over 7000 cases and rising. Key measures and facilities required include contact tracing, well-equipped isolation and quarantine centres. However, as other counties have done their level best others have taken it as an opportunity to mismanage the corona funds and enrich themselves without the thought that they are jeopardizing the lives of all Kenyans.
So as we all await for the President’s announcement Kenyans must know that the decision to reopen or not involves a balancing act between the lives and livelihoods of all 45 million of Kenyans with the exception of those who have lost their lives as a result of the pandemic. Therefore, we must play our part in following the given directives to prevent a likelihood of a surge of corinavirus infections in the country. Let us not be a statistics of country’s that opened up and later shut down abruptly.
