State did well in putting in place rules to curb Covid-19 spread

The battle against Covid-19 continues to be an uphill one, with fatalities in our country reaching 50 and over 1,000 the total cases.

A recent extension of the nationwide dawn to dusk curfew by another 21 days came as a result of the virus’ perseverance.

It is aimed at stemming the spread of this silent enemy. We are all hopeful that these measures will enable our country to return to its normal routine soon.

The government has been criticised for restricting the movement of citizens.

But before expressing such unfair criticisms, we must acknowledge the extent to which Covid-19 threatens our nation.

The democratic election of a government means that the elected officials should make critical decisions on behalf of the people. This is true during peace and during crises.

In times like these, quick executive decisions must be taken without delay.

 The government has clearly demonstrated its commitment to the citizens in the decision making process.

This was most recently seen in the process of national consultation in relation to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

Kenyans were allowed to give their views and recommendations to the BBI Taskforce team that visited all the 47 counties.

 The team heard the views of elected leaders at both the national and county levels, the private sector, church leaders as well as academic experts.

 This exercise is further proof of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s resolve to lead an inclusive government.

Those efforts are now bearing fruit, and leaders across the political divide are now supporting the BBI. In his own words, “The greatest gift that me and my brother (Raila) can ever leave the people of Kenya is the gift of peace, love and unity of all our people. And that’s the mission that we are on”.

Despite his commitment to unity and inclusivity, the time for this is not when citizens’ lives are at risk. The importance of this was expressed by the wisest man of all, King Solomon, who in Ecclesiastes stated, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”.

The unique times in which we live require firm and decisive leadership.

Aside for the curfew, which has been extended for another three weeks, the government took the important step of closing our borders with Somalia and Tanzania.

This is due to the high number of imported cases of Covid-19. Not wanting to harm trade with our neighbours however, the government has allowed the movement of cargo trucks into the country. Drivers will have to be screened for the virus before entering into the country.

The National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus is working to make the right decisions for the country.

The government has a long term strategy in fighting the virus. The President of the KMA Covid-19 Response Advisory Committee Jacqueline Kitulu said: “In the absence of data, we consider any discussions on movement restrictions and reopening sectors of the economy to be premature and potentially disastrous.”

The government has always opposed decisions that put the lives of citizens at risk.