Several months after Covid-19 struck and the world continues to grapple with several irreversible effects
especially the most vulnerable who are being pushed below the poverty line.
As governments around the world put in several restrictions to contain the virus from spreading, including
the creation and distribution of vaccines, countries like Kenya are still falling behind on how to cushion its
citizens from the continuing socioeconomic effects that the pandemic brings.
First of, as much as curfew and lockdown measures in cities like Nairobi and Mombasa were introduced to
contain the spread of the virus, there were no contingency plans on how to make sure that sectors like the
transport, hospitality & retail sector remained afloat despite the government receiving plenty of donations
from other governments and the private sector. Till this day, most of this revenue is unaccounted for yet so
much could have been done to especially help those living in informal settlements.
Many also lost their jobs during this period and have had to struggle up to 10 times more to put food on
their tables. This has unfortunately led to rise in crime especially in urban centres, rise in depression, suicide
and murder cases and the decline of mental health.
Public health systems are in turn facing a myriad of challenges owing to little to no support from the
government. We have seen stories of doctors and nurses giving up on going to work and taking measures
like holding strikes to make their stand on how they have been treated by the government and what would
be done by them to make their work during this pandemic easier.
Entrepreneurs and business owners haven’t been left behind in this unfortunate mess. The curfews and
regional lockdowns didn’t just mess the schedules of their businesses, the government also added more tax
in the midst of the pandemic.
This not only shows how little the government knows of the struggles we go through, but also shows how
insensitive they are to the plight of the citizens and how daily life has become even more difficult during
these changing times.
If there is any chance of effective recovery of any percentage to occur even as we go on, the government
should take the current crisis as an opportunity to see the plight of Kenyan citizens and hear them out to
fundamentally transform and strengthen the economy.
