This archive report was first published on 22 May 2020.
Published on May 22, 2020, Kenya is at a critical juncture, facing numerous crises that require a unified and inclusive approach to overcome. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the country to a turning point, where individuals and nations can change for the better or worse, depending on how they manage the crisis.
According to history, countries need strong, effective, and inclusive leadership to navigate through and out of crises. The state has implemented public health measures to minimize the impact of the pandemic, including social distancing, ban on public gatherings, mandatory face masks, and strict adherence to personal hygiene. Although the country has made progress in taming the spread of the pandemic, the public tends to assess leadership responses based on visible actions.
However, there are containment measures that are not visible to the public, such as effective and efficient contact tracing, which have ensured that the disease infection footprint is effectively tracked and managed. This could be a reason why the country is yet to reach the previously projected high rates of infections.
Public health containment strategies have had an undesirable impact on the economy by restricting the movement of people and goods. The World Bank projects Kenya's economic growth to decline to 1.5 per cent this year compared to 5.4 per cent last year. Beyond sustaining short-term responses to COVID-19, the country must urgently begin charting a way out of the looming economic meltdown.
This calls for an inclusive political approach focused on providing effective leadership in this time of uncertainty. Crises help a country redefine its core values and identity. It is not a time for divisive politics and the pursuit of narrow agendas linked to the 2022 elections. Rather, it is a time for authentic leaders who value the nation-state above their personal interests to come together and provide inspired leadership.
