THE CUTTING EDGE - Daily Nation

RESET KEY: The Covid-19 pandemic has provided the world with an opportunity to radically review and reset its norms, remarks Simon Peter Njoroge. Looking at the spread of the scourge, Simon claims that it is not developing as fast in places such as Japan than in other countries. And, he has been keen to find out why. "To a great extent, it's due to strong social norms and obedience of laws plus the culture of wearing of masks and other protective items. So, why aren't we seeing people in the shopping malls, matatus and other public places wearing masks? We need more proactive steps to stem the tide. A radical change of behaviour is no longer optional." His contact is

TAX CUTS: Following the slashing of value added tax (VAT), as one of the measures to enable businesses to cope with the challenges arising from the epidemic, Mohammed Fazal Hussein would wish to see this implemented immediately. However, he feels that a mere declaration is not enough. The most urgent step is to reconfigure the Electronic Tax Register (ETR) to reflect the new VAT rates. "The government should ensure that people are not charged for the ETR configuration to the new rates, which takes effect from April 1. Kenyans should not be taken advantage of, as had happened with the inflated prices of hand sanitisers and masks." His contact is

'BIG FISH': The fight against corruption has somewhat lost steam, with the Executive and the Judiciary frequently blaming each other for not playing their respective parts seriously, remarks Patrick Majanja. He adds: "For one, the Judiciary claims that lack of proper funding is greatly responsible for its impotent discharge of its cardinal duties." However, Patrick is not buying that one, as he cannot see how, for example, a decision to remand a VIP who commits crime in, for instance, Nairobi's Buru neighbourhood in the "posh police stations such as Muthaiga or Kileleshwa, can be made for lack of funds!" His contact is

MASKED: As conspiracy theories circulate on social media on the origin of the coronavirus, George Forest’s curiosity has been heightened. He wonders why Chinese tend to wear masks while the rest of the world does not. According to him, the WHO has explained that the virus can only be transmitted through droplets and not the air, hence the need to keep a safe distance and practise hygiene. But long before the virus struck, George adds, he had noticed that even the Chinese living in Kenya often wear masks. “Can’t they now come out and tell the rest of the world what they know that others don’t about this?” His contact is

CURFEW: An unsolicited word of advice from seasoned Nairobi-based corporate leader Francis G. Muhindi to the government on the coronavirus epidemic that has the country on tenterhooks is that it is not possible to come up with measures that will please everyone on the issue of whether to effect a partial or total lockdown. No doubt tongue-in-cheek, Francis adds that this would be tantamount to a gang of robbers complaining that the start of the Covid-19 curfew should have been 10pm instead of 7pm so as to enable them to “deal seriously” with those returning home late. His contact is

CALLING CORPORATES: Should respectable organisations invite people to apply for pre-qualification for the supply of goods and services and then demand that they first pay a fee into the organisation's bank account before doing so? asks Kamau Kaniaru. He cites as an example a recent advertisement of a mission hospital's pre-qualification notice. "Interested applicants were simply being asked to provide their details for pre-qualification with the rider, 'pre-qualification does not mean automatic qualification'. Is it ethical to ask for payment when the applicants are not purchasing any tender documents but merely supplying vital information about themselves?" His contact is

Have a transparent day, won't you!