Covid-19 containment measures: Raise firewalls to forestall 2022 risks
New data paints a glossy picture of Kenya’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which grew at 9.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2021 on the back of easing of Covid-19 containment measures last year.
While making the announcement on New Year’s eve, the National Treasury said the impressive growth was part of the country’s economic recovery from pandemic shocks, which started gaining traction early last year.
Coming after an earlier impressive double-digit second-quarter performance of 10.1 per cent of real GDP, this can easily be misconstrued to mean the economy is in a safe place.
However, truth is that the shivers of the past two years will carry on, and with them, new challenges will emerge even as the old ones persist.
But Kenyans must embrace the pandemic for teaching us to think differently about tackling challenges we are currently facing when it comes to issues such as climate change, economic growth, social justice and inflation.
We must wake up to the fact that there will be no lasting solution to the current economic crisis unless enough people are vaccinated against Covid-19, hence the clarion call for all and sundry to take the jab.
Further, policymakers must focus on how to forestall risks, including drought, debt and the uncertainty that comes with the General Election towards end of the year.
While drought is an act of God, government must do everything possible to ensure there is enough food stock while encouraging farming models that don’t depend on rain.
Treasury must also ensure the debt portfolio does not deteriorate further and thus guarantee that taxpayers money is not used to pay debt instead of developing the economy.
This can be achieved through proper planning to avoid a debt repayment marathon as witnessed in the second half of 2021 when Kenya’s export and tourism earnings took a plunge.
Importantly, this is the time to plan how to tame rising political temperatures.
With politicians having started early campaigns, it only goes to show how competitive the elections would be, hence the need for stakeholders to raise the firewalls to ensure Kenyans have a transparent, free and fair election.
Kenya’s economic and social fabric suffered a lot in the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic; it does not need another round of economic stagnation because it may take quite a long time to heal.
