This archive report was first published on 22 April 2020.
Published on April 22, 2020, the Kenyan government's efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus have been met with skepticism by outspoken lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi.
Abdullahi, known for his sharp criticism, has taken aim at the daily briefings by the cabinet secretary for health, Mutahi Kagwe. In a series of tweets, Abdullahi accused Kagwe and his team of providing the same information for four weeks, stating that Kenyans are losing faith in the Ministry of Health.
“Despite being NATIONALLY LIONIZED & WIDELY GLORIFIED, CS Kagwe & his team have for 4 weeks fed Kenyans the same menu of ‘today 4 people tested positive’,” Abdullahi tweeted. “Kenyans are not only very skeptical but are of the view that Kagwe and his team are “ALL HAT and NO CATTLE” simply not UPTO job.”
Abdullahi's criticism comes as Kenya approaches day 40 since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country. The lawyer has called for the government to increase testing, stating that only 14,000 tests have been conducted, a dismal number compared to the 250,000 to 500,000 tests he believes are needed to get a clear picture of the virus's spread.
“Kenya has to test between 250k to 500k for the Coronavirus to have an idea on where were and where we are going…this daily announcement of “x number of people has tested positive is “nonsense upon stilts'” Abdullahi said.
