Let’s take President Uhuru’s challenge on Covid seriously
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s partial re-opening of the economy is a classic example of the mantra that freedom comes with responsibility.
The net result of all the things the President said yesterday is that defeat of the coronavirus disease will only be possible through personal undertakings and not through government edicts.
In his address to the nation, Uhuru extended the countrywide 9pm-4am curfew for 30 days and lifted the cessation of movement to and from Nairobi, Mombasa and Mandera counties, directed religious leaders and operators of public service vehicles and those in the hospitality industry to conduct their engagements within the parameters of Ministry of Health directives. He also asked Kenyans to strictly adhere to public health guidelines issued by the government in March.
However, the President did warn that should the citizenry not take the anti-virus fight seriously, leading to a rise in infections, he will not hesitate to rescind yesterday’s decision and impose stricter measures to safeguard lives of Kenyans.
In the circumstances that the Head of State finds himself at the moment in an environment see-sawed by a dilemma of two opposing rights, Uhuru offered the best options available.
His move clearly has a bearing on both the economic revival of the country and safeguarding lives.
He deserves commendation for taking the more reasonable and less populist route rather than succumbing to pressure and playing to the public gallery to merely appease those who crave for freedom without responsibility .
Kenyans, all of them, must elect to make the right choices at this most stressing of time. The country’s future shall be determined by the choices we make. Those choices must be solid, pragmatic and full in wisdom. They should neither be distractive nor destructive.
At no time in the history of independent Kenya is the crucial matter of individual responsibility being called upon than now.
As the President noted yesterday, it is time for each citizen to be their brother’s keeper. We need to learn from our traditional ways where what affected one individual was warded off by the entire community.
Kenyans must individually and collectively sign up to fight and defeat the Covid-19 scourge.
It’s against this backdrop that we are asking all to heed the President’s counsel and make it unnecessary for him to consider reintroducing restriction measures.
