This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
Kenyan Views on COVID-19: Believers and Skeptics ¶
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread globally, Kenyans have been left with mixed reactions to the disease. While some have dismissed the reports as hogwash, others have confessed to knowing friends or relatives with the disease.
According to the Ministry of Health, as of June 15, 2020, Kenya had recorded 3,727 cases of COVID-19, with 1,286 recoveries and 104 deaths. However, a section of Kenyans still believes that COVID-19 was not real, with some even alleging that the daily briefings by the Ministry of Health were a scheme to attract donor funding.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has been cautioning Kenyans against waiting for the disease to descend at their doorsteps for them to believe it was real and anyone could get it. He has been using examples of countries like Italy, USA, UK, and Brazil which have recorded thousands of deaths.
A Twitter thread by Caroline Carole allowed Kenyans to volunteer information about friends or relatives they know have contracted the virus. Most respondents confessed they knew people who were battling the virus, recovered from it, while others shared stories of those who had succumbed to the disease.
Some of the reactions from Kenyans include:
- Shilu Ngure, who said four of her neighbors had tested positive, a development that scared her since she was in contact with them.
- Tobi Roppo, who revealed he had tested positive for the virus which later progressed and resulted in acute pneumonia after 10 days.
- Samia Omar Bwana, who knew two people in Mombasa who contracted the virus and did not make it, and singled out stigma as the biggest impediment in the fight against COVID-19.
According to some tweeps, the number of COVID-19 related fatalities in the country could be higher than 104 reported by the Ministry of Health since some people were dying silently in their homes.
As the pandemic continues to spread, it is essential for Kenyans to take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the disease.
