The Big Four – Uhuru’s long-term medicine against Covid-19

Today, there is just one topic being discussed: Covid-19. The acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, as it’s scientifically known, around the world, has stopped politicians’ agenda. At the same time, it is also the main topic of conversation in every family and social media platforms.
There are several lessons to learn from the virus: First, virus does not discriminate between rich and poor.

QUARANTINED
Tom Hanks, the famous Hollywood actor, was one of the first people who contracted the virus in the United States. He had to be quarantined, and many football stars and celebrities followed suit. Even Prince Charles and the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were infected.
It does not discriminate against races.

The virus has highlighted the centrality of government programmes, such as the Big Four. Let me explain the importance of each pillar in light of the realities of the coronavirus. The most obvious is, of course, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s commitment to provide every citizen with Universal Healthcare (UHC).

It is known that viral diseases like Covid-19 exploit already weakened immune systems and thus wreak havoc on the elderly, the sick, and those with underlying medical issues.

UHC improves the general health of Kenyans, which is vital for developing a strong immune system.

Another proven and important strategy to keep the coronavirus at bay are social distancing, quarantines and lockdowns.

Each citizen needs to stay in their houses so they won’t infect other people. But Kenya faces housing crisis.

The president pushed for a national master-plan to get Kenya building again, and instructed his government to push for the construction of houses all over the country.

Many naysayers tried to ridicule the project. But now, with quarantines and curfews in place, everyone can see the importance of adequate housing for every citizen.

The third pillar of the Big Four is support and development of local manufacturing. In regular times, this seems like a nice programme to create jobs, with economists arguing in favour and against government intervention into the free market, a debate which misses the reality of the average Kenyan.
But in the days of a global pandemic like coronavirus, everything needs to be seen in a new light. One of the first ‘victims’ of the virus was global traffic and trade.

CLOSE BORDERS
Countries around the world closed their borders, initially to anyone or anything coming from China, in order to minimise the spread of the deadly virus. This was followed by a more general travel ban, initiated by most countries including Kenya. This has limited the movement of people and goods.

Local manufacturing capabilities are critical to keep our economy growing and to provide Kenyans with goods they would usually import.

The fourth and final pillar, food security, is connected with the aforementioned problem. We have to produce our own food to be independent.

Our country has the potential to grow whatever we need to feed its population. Since unveiling the Big Four, the government has been setting the right incentives for farmers to achieve this goal.
Hard times lay ahead and we should not downplay the dangers of this pandemic. But with good leadership, we can overcome.