This archive report was first published on 10 May 2020.
On May 10, 2020, National Community Based Organizations President Tom Aosa expressed concerns over the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe's strategy to contain COVID-19 in Kenya.
Aosa noted that prolonged restrictions on movement were taking a toll on businesses, emphasizing the need for decisive action to contain the virus within the shortest period possible.
He argued that the Ministry of Health missed the opportunity to implement a total lockdown during the early stages of the pandemic, which he believed would have contained the virus more effectively.
According to Aosa, the government's failure to act decisively during the initial period led to a surge in community infections, with many people shunning mass testing due to fear instilled by the Ministry of Health's management of the pandemic.
Aosa also criticized the Ministry of Health's enforcement of quarantine guidelines, citing incidents where those placed under quarantine were asked to foot their own bills and those arrested for flouting dusk-to-dawn curfew guidelines were forced into isolation facilities with little regard to safety protocols.
He called for safe re-opening of the economy, saying that Kenya is a young economy and the government should devise ways of battling the virus while Kenyans go on about their businesses.
