ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi has today, Wednesday, April 8 urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to rally Kenyans and earn their trust in the fight against Covid-19.
In what the ANC leader termed as the spirit of Easter, he called for greater elements of sacrifice from both the national government and members of the public during the Coronavirus pandemic.
"The government has given us guidelines which if followed will minimise the risk the virus exposes us to," Mudavadi stated, acknowledging the government's directive to restrict motion in and out the four most affected counties in the country, with Nairobi at the centre.
However, despite agreeing that the move will play a major role in taming the spread of the virus, the former deputy prime minister called out the timing of the directive and the manner with which it was implemented.
"Certainly we cannot downplay the risk posed by unchecked persons in and out of the Nairobi area,
"Yet I think there is merit in re-examining the cases of persons whose families have been torn by this sudden closure. There are children whose parents have been caught on the other side of the divide. A parent who travelled to Nyeri or Embu, for instance, may have not had the opportunity to get back to Nairobi before the sudden clampdown," Mudavadi argued.
"There is merit in asking about the impact of keeping such a person from a family or children and who may not have anybody else to look after them. I urge the government to find a way to sieve these cases so that we do not generate new problems because of the way we are managing this problem," he added.
He also highlighted that President Uhuru had failed to streamline communication within his government. Mudqavadi stated that President Uhuru had about three weeks ago directed that all debts owed by the government be paid in three weeks, however, a statement was issued by the controller of budget Margaret Nyakango on March 31, 2020, cancelling the payments, with an exemption of salaries.
"I also urge the government to strive for more clarity and policy in its communication," Mudavadi stated, noting that the directive had been received with great relief by various suppliers to both national and county governments only to be cancelled again.
"This is both confusing and painful to suppliers. I urge the government to revisit this matter and to issue one clear statement, sensitive to the plight of suppliers," Muhe added.
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Mudavadi also highlighted that the country's strategic food reserve was running low, thus urging the government to prioritise staple food supply.
"If the coronavirus pandemic goes arm in arm with famine, the outcome will be a catastrophe," Mudavadi stated.
He urged that the emergency team formed to ensure that vulnerable members of the public do not succumb to the famine.
"I highlighted two weeks ago, the need for the country to not lose this farming season. We are not hearing this from the recent government brief.
"Farmers cannot be left to their own fate, the government must get involved, it must monitor and support each stage in the cycle of the country's food basket zones," Mudavadi stated.
He stated that it was a difficult time to be in charge of the government, with education and economy in limbo, as the shilling declines by the day, unemployment on the rise, and a general sense of hopelessness in the country.
"Managing this crisis requires that the government wins over the people and travels with them. You often get the impression that the two are pulling in different directions," Mudavadi stated.
He urged that the government rally Kenyans, warning that a loss of the people's faith could be catastrophic.
