I study at Kenyatta University which also hosts the Young African Leadership Initiative – YALI (Regional Leadership Center of East Africa). I am an alumnus of the program and it was, therefore, a pleasure to be engaged as an assistant facilitator with MK-Africa in YALI’s first Sustainability & Circular Economy Cohort. The cohort was composed of 47 young passionate leaders from East & Central Africa. It was an exhilarating experience filled with different perspectives from leaders with different backgrounds unfortunately cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given the global pandemic and 47 different viewpoints, a conversation around the popularity of the COVID-19 as compared to Ebola ensued. One Ugandan Lady lamented passionately about how the West continues to overplay COVID-19 since it started and spread around affluent countries. This was in comparison to Ebola which has not treated with the same magnitude. ‘It is because we eat monkeys.’ Her speech extended to the conspiracies around the virus, its intentional spread, and the little concern on how the African countries shall cope with the disease. With the kind of Pro-Africanism in that room, everyone was moved to an agreement.
A number of prominent leaders including Bill Gates and Dr. Anthony Fauci had raised concerns about the global level of preparedness for a respiratory virus. It has been referred to as ‘The enemy we can’t see’ based on its deadly means of transmission through asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic carriers. In comparison, Ebola’s transmission rate is slower because it spreads through close contact. In 2014, Ebola-hit certain parts of Africa more than others. Kenyan doctors, Nasri Mohamed & Kevin Muringa, related the spread of Ebola in Liberia to Traditional Healers. Due to their ‘trade’ process, close contact would prevail between the infected person and the healer causing infection. The healer would then infect others hence the exponential increase in the numbers. Controlling the spread of Ebola would be easier through isolation of victims, unlike the Corona Virus which can survive on surfaces for up to 5 days!
African economies remain very reliant on imported goods for business. China alone accounts for 21% of Kenya’s imports, equivalent to USD 3.66 billion worth of products. Over the years, China has reduced the population living in extreme poverty by over 500 million owing to improvements in the education and healthcare systems. Many brands have their industries in China which were affected by the reduction in production and now the closure of borders deeply affecting economies around the globe.
Experts have noted that some sub-Saharan African countries may face an economic collapse if they undertake a shutdown to curb the spread of the virus. Even so, these countries may still see a high number of infections dues to poor living conditions. At home, the Kenyan government has responded to the disease with several measures of economic stimulus to ensure that the economy does not take a big hit but, how long can Kenya’s economy survive in a shutdown?
We now live in tough times and everyone may just as well be in their own right to formulate theories in order to cope. However, this fatal virus has shaken the world proving its novelty with great might as we soar above a hundred thousand deaths. We need to realize that this is the reality as is, try our best to flatten the curve and innovate to settle into our new normal.
By: Sam Nyamwange