Partnerships key in bolstering Kenya’s Covid-19 response

Since the onset of his presidency, President Uhuru Kenyatta has made a point of creating international partnerships with other countries in fields such as science, technology, sports and culture.

Under his leadership we have seen countless Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) signed between Kenya and Asian, European, and even Caribbean countries. And a global health crisis will not stand in the way of that. 

Most recently, Kenya has partnered up with the United Kingdom to address the shared challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Though as European and African countries we have many different issues to deal with, there are many commonalities in what the two continents are suffering from as a result of the virus.

Both the UK and Kenya are grappling with slowed down economies, figuring out how children’s and higher education can continue in the face of physical distancing, how to maintain livelihoods and enhance job growth, and how to make sure that healthcare is adequate for all citizens.

In light of this, Education CS Professor George Magoha has partnered up with the British High Commissioner to Kenya, Jane Marriott, to create a plan for the two countries to work together. The two are also co-chairs on the UK-Kenya Oversight Board on Research, Science, Technology and Innovation.

The goal of the joint action plan is “to enable Kenyan and UK academics, innovators and entrepreneurs to share skills and ideas on how to respond to and beat this virus.” The plan encompasses three key areas.

The first is exploring interventions based on science research. This includes new findings on disease epidemiology, public health and disease prevention and developing vaccines. It also spreads into the social and psychological aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic and different therapeutic approaches to assisting people who have been negatively affected by the crisis.

The second area of agreement centres upon managing the economic repercussions of the crisis. The immediate effects have already been felt by many, as job losses in the formal economy are widespread. In the informal sector, many people that depend on their daily profits from driving vehicles or selling food are unable to make ends meet. In the long term, the aftershocks of the economic slowdown are likely to be felt for years. 

Finally, the UK and Kenya joint action plan will work on developing technological advancement by innovators from the two countries. In May, the Kenya-UK Tech Hub hosted the Great Covid-19 Innovation Hackathon, which saw participants coming up with creative innovations for health systems, food security, and dignified work. 

Of the 300 individuals that participated, more than half came from outside of Nairobi. This kind of representation shows that the breadth of innovation in Kenya runs far and wide, and young people from around the country are eager to contribute to the country and take part in its growth.

As we have learned in the domestic arena, it is not possible to achieve anything great alone. One tribe cannot really prosper if all of the tribes around it are not surfing on the same wave, nor can a country grow richer if women are oppressed and only men are exposed to opportunities.

This is the spirit of unity and togetherness that Uhuru has worked so hard to craft over the last few years. And part of embracing that spirit means acknowledging that Kenya alone cannot realise great achievements without the support and cooperation of other nations. The same is true of all countries, isolation is never splendid.

While the UK has a lot to offer Kenya in terms of financial aid and foreign investment, we also have a lot to offer the UK. In particular, the spirit of Kenyan young people, many of whom have had to fight to get to where they are, will continue to push the envelope and challenge limitations. 

This is the kind of attitude necessary to keep moving forward, despite all odds. Those who have achieved great things but have known hardship are even more likely to appreciate what it took to get there. 

Both Kenya and the UK have some serious work to do, but all is possible if we are willing to support one another and work together. The new reality does not mean that our development goals have been entirely derailed. We simply have to keep on adapting. 

Mr Cherambos comments on topical issues. [email protected]