Seat ‘Wanjiku’ at Covid-19 decision table

The government, through the Ministry of Health, has made commendable efforts and invested enormous resources to protect Kenyans from Covid-19.

However, there appears to be a disconnect between what it is doing and the population it targets.

When the first case was reported, the government moved with speed to respond to the emerging crisis. Unfortunately, in the rush to mount a comprehensive public health response, ‘Wanjiku’ (the ordinary citizen) was, unwittingly, left behind.

We lost ‘Wanjiku’ when we allowed commercial entities to push their products in the guise of Covid-19 public health messaging.

Politicians took it to the next level by branding sanitisers donated or bought by the taxpayer and splashing their names on billboards, all in the name of fighting Covid 19.

Amid the increasing number of cases, and just when ‘Wanjiku’ was beginning to grasp the essentials of social distancing, we confused her further by announcing that restaurants would reopen to sell alcohol with food— the “four beers and a single sausage” line.

Wanjiku has been reduced to a spectator of the afternoon Health ministry update ritual, where she is sternly warned about what she is doing or not doing that is contributing to the spread of the coronavirus.

Her voice does not feature in this all-important gathering of knowledgeable decision-makers. Yet it is about protecting her!

Wanjiku only started appreciating the gravity of Covid-19 when places of worship, bars and restaurants were closed and a curfew imposed, but that did not translate to behaviour change.

My newspaper vendor, for instance, wears his face mask on the neck, leaving his mouth and nose exposed. He told me he keeps the mask just in case the police or county askaris appear.

My local kiosk has a jerrycan of water fitted with a tap. The owner told me it helps to keep public health officers away.

These two ordinary Kenyans are not seeking to protect themselves or their families; they are simply trying to keep out of trouble. Clearly, there is something fundamentally wrong with how prevention messages reach the grassroots.

We would achieve better compliance if our Covid-19 fight were people-owned and -driven. Our approach has largely been focused on pushing information down to them.

Unleashing police and gazetting rules is good, but without the buy-in of the very people we want to protect, we will not get very far.

We now have a critical mass of Covid-19 survivors. All we need to do is empower them to take the lead in fighting stigma and passing public health messages.

A powerful example is activism by people living with HIV/Aids and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which has helped to reduce stigma and improve care.

Epidemiological data is very important for planning and monitoring progress but it cannot replace the insights of those with a lived experience.

The National Emergency Response Committee should meaningfully involve Covid-19 survivors and sit ‘Wanjiku’ at the decision-making table.

Her knowledge, skills and ability to grasp complex issues and provide practical solutions should not be underestimated.

Mr Makumi is the vice-chairman, Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance of Kenya.