MUSALIA MUDAVADIs STATEMENT ON #COVID19
1. The harsh reality regarding the Covid-19 virus is beginning to sink in for everybody, everywhere. As the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Mutahi Kagwe, has repeatedly told us, this thing is not a joke. This thing is deadly. It will finish us in more than one way, if we do not approach it with a sense of method and a collective national mind across a number of sectors.
2. Scourges of this kind have been known to wipe out millions of people. They have destroyed entire social orders, from the bubonic plague to the Spanish influenza. Also known as the Black Death, the bubonic plague killed between 75 million and 200 million people for 4 years – between 1347 and 1351. In more recent times, the Spanish influenza of 1918 – 1919 killed about 50 million people, with nearly 500 million infected. Scourges of this kind are not to be taken lightly. We joke with them at our own peril.
3. It is because of this that I find it necessary to enjoin myself with the sentiments and guidelines of the Kenyan State, so far. Beyond that, I have a few additional thoughts to the injunctions made by the State this far.
4. Times and challenges such as we are experiencing tend to diffuse all the social and political boundaries that define us. Accordingly, we must as Kenyans be all enjoined in the effort to reverse and subdue the spread of this deadly virus in our country, regardless of our political leanings and affiliations. Harsh times remind us that we belong together, and to each other. It is in this spirit that I make the rest of my remarks below.
5. Focus on the implications of Covid-19 can easily lead us to forget about other equally important concerns. It is understandable that we cannot afford to shift our sights from this pandemic, even for a moment. Yet, there is also need to concurrently address other equally important concerns, some of which are direct factors of the pandemic. This is, indeed, part of the focus on the pandemic.
6. For one, the pandemic is slowly but surely crippling our economy. If we don’t pay deliberate attention to the effects of the pandemic to the economy and consciously mitigate against them, this thing could deal us a blow that will leave us staggering for many years to come. Unlike an isolated epidemic in an individual population, pandemics like Covid-19 push countries to retreat into their own narrow spaces. Everyone focuses on their national concerns. There is nobody left to turn to, except to ourselves.
7. Covid-19 has hit virtually every country. There are no international good Samaritans to turn to for support. Each country must first face Covid-19 on its own, before any international efforts can come into the equation. As Kenyans, we must accordingly brace ourselves up to address Covid-19 on our own. This includes addressing our economic survival and social stability. How do we restore functionality in the midst of a global crisis that is likely to be protracted?
8. We need forward looking strategies towards a restored, stable and robust national economy. Indications are that the national Treasury is on a weak footing, even as the various voices that are asking for State intervention grow by the day. In point of fact, we are approaching a complete shutdown whether we recognize this or not. And there could be merit in a deliberate shutdown, if Kenyans should continue being casual about this deadly virus. It is very disappointing to see our people treat very frivolously the instructions from the government. Perhaps the best way ahead now is for President Uhuru Kenyatta to order a periodized shutdown. This will most likely wake us up to the harsh realities of the mortal dangers that our conduct is exposing us to.
9. But even as we contemplate the possibility of this severe final resort, we must begin looking for answers to the economic and social challenges. In the short term, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is going to be hit hard. All taxes are now shaky. The targets will most likely not be met. If the State cannot collect taxes, for reasons that there are none to be collected, State operations will certainly grind to a halt. It is not clear at all that anything is happening in Government to address this mortal danger to the very blood life of the country. Kenyans need assurance from the State that they will still have their country in the coming months and after Covid-19, whenever that will be.
10. We have entered what would ordinarily be the planting season in the country’s food basket zones. Covid-19 has set us back in this respect. We need clear proactive contingency measures, with regard to such essentials as fertilizers and seeds, access to agricultural credit and even extension services. Equally important is the need for pesticides and acaricides. If this thing knocks the agricultural sector and it does not produce, we will be in a terrible fix. We cannot possibly leave this to chance, as we seem to be doing. Going forward, Kenya needs a clear plan on how to secure agriculture and food for tomorrow, by taking care of our farming sector, despite the reality that is Covid-19. The supply chain for agricultural essentials should not be compromised.
11. It is also true that the emerging conditions are hurting Kenyans at the individual domestic front, as I said last week. Some degree of travelling remains inevitable, regardless that the country is shutting down – or that it will be shut down. People must still travel to find food. They need to find healthcare and to find other essentials. The necessary measures that have been introduced to minimize the chances of spreading the virus through public transport come with challenges. One of these is cost, both for the commuter and the owner of the transport. There is need to look at taxation on petroleum products afresh, in order to give Kenyans some level of relief. It is known, for example, that slightly over 50 percent of the price of fuel at the pump goes towards taxes and levies. The government should give citizens some relief here.
12. Citizens also need support in access to water, both for health purposes and as an essential nutritional need. In the same docket are steady supplies of electricity, and paraffin – for cooking purposes. I have previously addressed the need for cushioning both house renters and landlords. A crisis, or even shutdown law, may need to be urgently enacted for this purpose, with the possibility of tax accruals where landlords and banks will be obliged extend such relief to Kenyans, and file this as part of their tax relief from the State.
13. You cannot fight a virus if you are malnourished and your immunity system is compromised. Malnutrition leads to compromised immunity, among other challenges. We have children and elders who are malnourished. These are some of the most exposed populations. A proper nourishment support programme for these populations is of the essence. Equally important, as people stay safe at home, a targeted food relief programme for both the rural and urban poor is a must. The government must roll out such a programme at once.
14. Reflecting on the genesis and spread of the virus, it is morally sound to acknowledge that Covid-19 began from China, to the very best of everyone’s knowledge. It is also true that as we face debt repayment challenges as a nation, our largest creditor is China. China has a moral obligation to accede to a fresh look at Kenya’s debt portfolio. An engagement with Kenya’s Treasury is of the greatest essence. Some of these repayments are now either due, or are soon falling due. China must open up avenues for interest waivers, debt restructuring and deferring of some of the loan repayments.
15. Going back to the way Kenyans are responding to the guidelines from the government, I wish to restate that the present casual attitude will hurt us grossly. If Kenyans cannot respect and obey simple guidelines regarding such things as public gatherings, prayer meetings, weddings, funerals and other assemblies, then we as ANC will not only support the possibility of a measured shutdown of the country; we will, in fact, urge the government to seriously consider this option.
~ Hon Musalia Mudavadi, ANC Party Leader ~
