Our latest Covid case is a Kenya driver, 32, who arrived in the country through Malaba.

The region’s biggest economy Kenya, has been struggling with the Corona virus since their first case walked through Jomo Kenyatta Airport check point.

The country’s Health Secretary Dr. Mercy Mwangangi confirmed Covid-19 cases had hit the 296 mark.

Dr. Mercy also announced they had 12 fatalities more than any other nation in the region. Why has the country gotten to the point where it is exporting case after case into Uganda?

DR Congo in the great lakes region are the only nation ahead of them.

Delayed Lock down

There have been concerns on social media among citizens why the nation took long to impose a nationwide lock down.

Many hailing Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni for handling Covid-19 with limited cases.

Nairobi and Mombasa, the country’s densely population cities until some time last week had crowds in the counties of Machakos, Kajiado, Kiambu, Murang’a Nairobi County.

Flights to disease epicentres were suspended but internal movements within the country in different towns went on as long as there were sanitizers being used. Events were suspended but schools kept open.

Gatherings were suspended but church and mosques continued to operate with regulations.

But the question of social distancing was largely a problem given the movements and crowds in Nairobi and Mombasa plus some of the other cities.

Uhuru-Ruto fall out

However, there is the question of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, the two Jubilee leaders at crossroads.

Uhuru and Ruto are not on talking terms according to the daily news media in Nairobi.

The split is fairly linked to the closeness of the President and his long time rival  Raila Odinga.

The pair before the Covid-19, have been moving together, a thing that did not please Ruto.

The man from Eldoret, believes his chances are limited with another coalition emerging from the Uhuru and Raila hobnobbing.

Ruto has cut a lonely figure and continues to throw stones at Kenyatta’s direction.

The DP took to his Twitter handle to hit back at Standard Newspaper headline ‘Big Office, No Power’: “To reduce our administration to chemistry, position & power is an insult to Uhuru & I and betrayal of the 8m plus kenyans who voted for us. Jubilee is about the hustle of every ORDINARY CITIZEN not leaders;UNITY not isolation;TRANSFORMATION not big office; EMPOWERMENT not power.”

The divide and silent between the Kenyan leaders has to an extent hurt the country’s Covid-19 fight.

Secretaries Dr. Mercy Mwangangi and Mutahi Kagwe have been running the Covid-19 fight.

Unlike Uganda and Rwanda where the heads of state Museveni and Paul Kagame have been supplementing the daily ministerial briefings with national addresses, Uhuru hasn’t been prominently featuring.

The population needs direction and leadership at such critical times. More often they require the President to provide it for them.

Tougher Measures

However, Dr. Mercy’s tough move late last week to quarantine Kenyans moving outside the curfew hours for 14 days will surely yield results.

The secretaries will need to push Health Promotion Officers to highten sensitization within the country. They will need to emphasize; hand washing, social and physical distancing and coughing etiquette among others.