CODIV-19.
I hail from one of the most beautiful countries in Africa. My country is one of my greatest points of pride. My land just like Roger Whittaker is Kenya.
That's home. The land of champions dating from Paul Tergat to Eliud Kipchoge. The only country with a national park in it’s capital city. The only country with the second-highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kenya. The country is home to 11 of the world's bird species.
But like all good things my country is flawed. We have a tumor. It starts from top-down. The country has been plagued by bad governance since time immemorial. It has hard it’s share of bad policymakers with on scandal after another. The founding president laying a foundation of subtle dictatorship whilst the second ruling the country with an iron fist. Mention of “Nyayo torture chambers” and everyone shivers. The fourth president of the republic went all out. He defied the odds. He's disappointed many who thought that having been brought up in the statehouse, he’d know a thing or two about his country. Having run and won the presidential race, he would change the status quo. He would break the stereotype that his people are thieves. But that is not the case. It's under his tenure that the country has had the worst fraud cases.
Under the “golden boys” rule, the country has incurred, 5.2 trillion debt from both local and international lenders. The treasury has run out of cash and the country is in the medium-risk category according to IMF. Meaning that at any time the country's economy could crash. Plundering millions of Kenyans into a sad state of affairs. A new day a new saga. This was a hashtag that outlined the different scandals that bombarded the country's major newspapers. Aror and Kimwarer, Galana Kalalu, KNH, Maize saga, Standard Gauge railway just to name a few. The country is bleeding while our leaders are ignoring.
To me, the final blow was when an aircraft carrying 239 Chinese citizens landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. If you have been in a hole somewhere, let me bring you to up to speed. Corona Virus, commonly known as covid-19 was first detected in Wuhan China in late December 2019. A novel coronavirus is a new strain of corona that has not been detected before. It is a zoonotic disease, meaning that it can be transmitted from humans to animals. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.
Now that you are in the know, do you realize how serious this virus is? It is estimated that in China alone 2771, have lost their lives while 81,406 cases have been reported worldwide. This virus might be in the country. Our country, which is governed by the most inefficient individuals. A developing country where people are still succumbing from malaria. The same country that is so deep in debt that it cannot handle another epidemic. This country might have just murdered its citizens.
It is estimated that the virus if in the country, might infect 400 people in one day. Populated areas like the slums and low-income areas like Eastlands will be hit the worst. In 30 days the whole country would have been infected with the virus whose cure is still unknown. With all this information, someone still opened the gates for a flight that was coming from the hot bed of the virus.
This is Kenya. The man eat man society as former president of Tanzania Julius Nyerere once said.