The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Socio-Economic Sectors in Kenya
Since its outbreak in China's Wuhan City in December 2019, the disease has spread like wildfire, affecting many people around the globe in different ways. Most of those who are affected usually develop mild or moderate symptoms and about 80% recover without visiting a health care facility or being hospitalized.
The most common symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, dry coughs, sore throat, tiredness, diarrhea, aches and pains, loss of taste and smell, conjunctivitis, a rash on the skin, among others.
However, the current study shows that out of every five people, at least one develops difficulties in breathing and eventually becomes seriously ill. Also, older members of society and other people with existing medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, lung, and heart problems are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill.
There are however simple precautionary measures that can be used to reduce and prevent infection or spreading of COVID-19, at least for now, since no vaccine has been developed so far to prevent or cure the disease. These measures include washing your hands regularly and thoroughly with running water, avoiding eye, mouth and nose contact, covering your mouth, and nose when coughing and sneezing with your elbow or tissue paper, wearing a mask, and keeping at least one-meter distance from others.
In a nutshell, people of all ages, gender, color, or race can get infected with COVID-19 and this virus has become more than a crisis in the health sectors of many countries around the world. It has stressed even the most powerful nations on earth, leaving deep scars on their economy. The following are some of the socio-economic sectors which have been hit hard by the pandemic.
1. Education
Article 53(1) in the Constitution of Kenya states that every child has a right to free and compulsory basic education. However, children were denied this right when the COVID-19 pandemic invaded Kenya. The ministry of health reported the first case on 12th March 2020 and the government moved with speed to announce various measures to combat the virus, and on March 15, the government announced an abrupt closure of all learning institutions, and nearly 17 million learners countrywide were affected.
Although this ensured the health and safety of students and their teachers, it also brought about puzzling circumstances in society. Some of the schools especially private ones have been closed permanently, rendering teachers and support staff jobless, and students have been stressed, depressed, and isolated for lack of linkage with their school community. This in turn has led to increased cases of teenage pregnancies and school dropouts.
Parents and guardians are now left with no option but to carry the burden of educating and counseling their children at home, at the same time struggling to make ends meet.
2. Entertainment
There is no doubt that the novel coronavirus has become a specter in our lives, changing our way of living, and the entertainment industry has been dealt a big blow as well. Having been closed for quite some time, entertainment joints such as movie theatres, bars, restaurants, and cinemas have left many employees jobless and employers without a stable source of income and struggling to pay rental arrears.
Artists, sports personalities, and comedians have not been spared also, with many trying to find alternative means to put bread on the table and stay afloat. From virtual concerts to private events, farming to coaching, they have shown ingenious ways to survive the crisis.
However, not all players in this sector have faced the dark and gloom. For example, companies that offer online gaming and live streaming have seen a tremendous increase in subscribers thus increasing advertising revenue significantly for their content creators.
3. Health
The surge in COVID-19 patients has stressed and strained the health systems like never before. Hospital beds have been filled up and hospitals have become overwhelmed. Locally and nationally, lack of coordination, proper planning, and information has crippled the sector.
Health caregivers who are supposed to attend to patients have been infected with the virus and quarantined or hospitalized, others have downed their tools, leaving patients unattended, and this has led to more COVID-19 fatalities. To make the matters worse, many hospitals don't have specialist equipment and intensive care units, and staff who can run them.
The Ministry of Health has however been marred by corruption. Testing kits, nose masks, and other medical equipment that were supposed to be issued free of charge to citizens were sold at inflated prices. This has led to a crisis since the underprivileged in the society can't afford them, leading them to exposure and subsequently rising the numbers exponentially.
4. Political
It's a fact that a return to how life was before the pandemic is way off. Since we are living in extraordinary times, everyone has programmed his/her mind to adapt to the new changes, and the elite political class is not an exception. All political gatherings have been put in abeyance as one of the measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Many politicians have been compelled by the swift measures to stay away from their supporters, with many confessing that they have at least heaved a sigh of relief from the noisy political storms in the country, and a strident fall in ethnic politics has been realized at least for now.
This crisis has also at some point profoundly transformed the political landscape in Kenya and bipartisan politics is being endorsed as the new normal. Top political leaders are now facing daunting uphill tasks of flattening the curve and bringing back the reggae or the Building Bridges Initiative Report that is expected to usher in the 2022 succession politics.
