Let protocols make apt business sense
President Uhuru Kenyatta made a tough decision by electing a phased reopening of the country to enable the government to monitor the situation while giving the economy space to regenerate.
With firewalls coming down slowly, Kenyans must take personal responsibility, and particularly check the inter-county spread of coronavirus as businesses reopen.
To ensure the phased reopening enhances economic growth, the private sector must get systematic guidance from the State so that all protocols are followed to help flatten the Covid-19 curve, and regenerate businesses to achieve the estimated growth of at least 3 per cent this year.
The government, therefore, needs a paradigm shift that must be read from the same script.
This must include synchronising the protocols and delivering them in their most simplified form to enable everyone to understand and abide by the new requirements.
As much as possible, government and all stakeholders involved in this process must avoid giving conflicting information, so that all sectors work seamlessly in the ‘New Normal’.
Indeed the private sector needs a bit of predictability to prosper during these tough times.
Anything less than that could sink the economy into an abyss, with the private sector making more losses while attempting to resuscitate its dwindling fortunes.
The speed with which Transport Cabinet Secretary moved to unleash the Protocol For Public Road Transport Operations is laudable, and if all sectors were to move in similar fashion, this would enhance confidence and fast-track economic regeneration.
However, to avoid vouching for a two-edged sword in this momentous fight, the government must ensure that all the protocols make business sense and do not add unnecessary burden on already suffering entrepreneurs.
Whatever it takes, the first few days of the phased reopening must be used to iron out any contentious issues to avoid backtracking on the protocols that are being rolled out.
While at it, the stakeholders must ensure everything is done in a structured and transparent manner to avoid creating a vacuum, which usually attracts cartels ready to gobble up cash for short-term personal gains at the expense of the greater economy.
