This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
Covid-19: Kenya's Reckless Endangerment of Human Life ¶
Published on July 14, 2020, President Kenyatta's decision to ease coronavirus restrictions has sparked concerns about the potential consequences for Kenyans.
While the easing of restrictions has been praised, many have pointed out that not a single condition precedent to a return to normalcy has been met. The rate of new infections has not yet reached a peak and started falling, as is the established wisdom for countries to start going back to normal.
Instead, Kenya is witnessing a sharp rise in the number of infections, with every other country that has prematurely lifted curbs on travel and crowding experiencing an upsurge of new infections.
The United States and Brazil provide stark examples of the consequences of easing restrictions too soon. In the US, President Donald Trump's defiance of measures designed to keep Covid-19 at bay has led to runaway infection rates. In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro's coronavirus denial has resulted in one of the highest infection rates anywhere, with the president himself being struck by the virus.
President Kenyatta, who has a decent education and access to vast technical and intellectual resources, must have been well briefed on these situations before making his decision. Despite this, he may have had little choice in a situation where the economic meltdown had become politically untenable.
By easing restrictions, President Kenyatta may earn some vital breathing space, but he has also taken a calculated risk. His message to Kenyans, that they are on their own and it will be their fault if infected, was not a message from a well-crafted strategy but words of surrender.
As the number of Covid-19-positive cases rises sharply, reaching highs of 20 per cent of all individuals tested, it is a reminder that the threat of infection lurks in every corner. We must take the easing of restrictions as a signal to be even more vigilant, rather than as a licence to get back to the life of wild abandon.
