- The government has employed multi-pronged approach in its fight against Coronavirus, which has so far claimed 14 lives across the country.
- In its Covid-19 strategy, the government has come up with up to five coordinating committees tasked with huge mandate of spearheading various aspects of the war.
The government has employed multi-pronged approach in its fight against Coronavirus, which has so far claimed 14 lives across the country.
In its Covid-19 strategy, the government has come up with up to five coordinating committees tasked with the mandate of spearheading various aspects of the war.
They include Health, Economic, Food and Water, Security and Post-Corona headed by different Cabinet Secretaries all operating under the umbrella National Emergency Response Team.
Before the first Coronavirus case was confirmed in the country, President Uhuru Kenyatta formed the National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus chaired by Health CS Mutahi Kagwe to coordinate the country’s response to the virus in the country.
The 21-member team created on February 28 through an Executive Order No. 2 of 2020 included Defence Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo, Transport CS James Macharia and ICT CS Joe Mucheru among others.
The government, though still maintaining the Emergency Committee, has gone ahead to form small committees to effectively help in containing the spread of the virus
On Friday, ICT CS Mucheru told a senate Committee how the Cabinet has split itself in various committees to bolster its anti-covid war in the country.
“We as government have taken this matter of coronavirus so seriously,” Mucheru told the senators.
“Coordination committee was set up and that committee coordinates the five committees, chaired by our chairman of the National Development Implementation and Communication cabinet sub-committee.”
Mucheru was speaking when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Covid-19 situation in the country chaired by Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja.
The CS revealed that the five more committees operate under the National Development Implementation and Communication cabinet sub-committee chaired by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
In the new set up, Kagwe’s National Emergency Response Committee looks primarily the health area and communication of the same to the public.
To help in the revival of the economy, the government has put in place Economic committee chaired by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani which basically looks into the all issues and activities that are required to be undertaken in economic response to the virus.
Government measures so far taken to contain the spread of the virus in the country has nearly paralysed the economic activities in the country with many businesses closing shops resulting into massive job losses especially in the hotel and tourism industry.
The government has also created Food and Water committee to respond to the needs of adequate food and clean water supply to Kenyans.
The committee chaired by Agriculture CS Peter Munya will ensure food and water is available across the country during the period of pandemic.
Defense Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma has been tasked with the huge mandate of heading the Corona Security Committee that primarily manages the command center that is already up and running.
She is responsible for managing most security operations including implementation of the countrywide curfew, roadblocks as well as quarantine centers across the country.
Yesterday, President Uhuru Kenyatta extended by 21 days the countrywide curfew and movement into and out of Nairobi, Kwale, Mombasa and Kilifi counties with similar period.
The fifth committee recently set up by the President is the Post-Corona committee which basically looks at how Kenya will look like after the pandemic.
The committee chaired by Public Service Margaret Kobia will also look at lessons from the pandemic and how to put in place measures to combat similar situations in future.
Kenya has been battling the coronavirus now over one month, the disease has so far infected 336 people with 14 people succumbing to the virus as per Saturday last week.
Some 94 people have also recovered from the disease that has been confirmed in 11 out of the 47 counties.
So far Nairobi is leading with 222 cases followed by Mombasa (84), Kilifi (9), Mandera (8) and Kwale recording one case.
Kajiado County has also three cases, Kitui (2), Nakuru (2), Siaya (2) while Kakamaega, Uasin Gishu and Homabay are all having one confirmed positive case each.