Kenya's management of coronavirus laudable

When the stakes are high, it turns out, there is no substitute for wisdom, calm authority, international stature, and above all, leadership.
Just look around the world. In the United States, President Donald Trump has given a crash course on how not to manage a crisis.

From defunding and then dismantling the US pandemic response unit, to claiming that America’s first 15 cases would soon diminish to just one and stating that people who were ill could go to work, under Trump’s leadership the US was spectacularly unprepared to handle a pandemic.

Then, when it hit, his mixed messaging, erratic decision making and trumpeting of miracle cures instead of hard science have caused thousands of lives to be lost. While of course Coronavirus is a natural and unavoidable disaster, the US will lose many more lives than necessary, and that is entirely of its president’s own making.
Or alternatively look at the United Kingdom, where with thousands already dead in Italy and across Europe, the government permitted 60,000 spectators to attend a horse racing competition. In fact, Premier League games were allowed to continue in front of full stadiums until the players began coming down with the virus!
What the virus has shown, is that the brand of populist, media friendly politicians, whose flamboyant style and bombastic promises gain them support on a day to day basis, are ill equipped to deal with a global pandemic. Dangerously ill equipped.
We can all think of politicians here in Kenya that fit this mould. Just imagine if one of them was in power now. It hardly bares thinking about.
Instead, what we have seen is a masterly display of controlled, prescient leadership, from a man who looks like he was destined to deal with this crisis. To quote the famous British poet Rudyard Kipling, Uhuru has ‘kept his head while all about him are losing theirs’.
This began with precautions. Unlike his counterparts in the UK or US, Uhuru was quick to identify the danger of the virus. He moved swiftly to stop flights from hotspots to Kenya, and when the virus finally reached our shores, was one of the first African leaders to implement strict social distancing measures. Recently, he went a step further by sealing off Nairobi and other urban areas ahead of Easter in order to stop the virus reaching our elderly relatives in rural areas.
Cognisant of the economic challenges the virtual halting of the global economy will bring, Uhuru acted quickly to put in place a 40 billion Shilling package to help the poorest and most vulnerable families at this difficult time. The money was raised from the proceeds of his crackdown on corruption, as well as cutting back on government waste. Uhuru even led from the front, taking an 80% pay cut.
At the same time, Uhuru has also shown his coolness of thought by stopping short of declaring a full lockdown, while reserving the right to do so should the situation deteriorate. One could imagine a less experienced leader panicking and shutting the entire country down, but Uhuru knows that managing a pandemic such as this requires agility and nuance. A balance must be struck between health and economic concerns.
Of course, these measures do not mean we will be spared entirely. People will still die. Our economy will still be hit. But it could be a lot worse. Just watch the news!
The armchair critics and hyper partisans that dominate our media space should remember this as they count down the days to the end of the Uhuru presidency. They should be careful what they wish for.
Media stars and populists are fine when things are good, but get shown up when the going gets tough. The President on the other hand has risen to the challenge like few other leaders around the world. We should enjoy it while it lasts.
Mr Kihoro is a research and data expert. [email protected]