Living with COVID-19 in Bungoma

Isabel Ziz

COVID-19 has created a global crisis, as no country has been spared. We have all felt its adverse effects in one way or another. Particularly, the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic have made managing life harder. The news of COVID-19 in China found me in Bungoma, where I live with my family. However, as the news of the pandemic hit local airwaves, it sounded strange and foreign.  Rumours went around that the first victims were infected via eating bat soup. This experience seemed like a cultural problem aligned to a specific practice, foreign to Kenyans.

In the initial days of the pandemic, I thought this would be an excellent time to travel upcountry and spend some time on the farm with my parents and children. I knew rural people would experience Covid-19 differently.  Therefore, I wanted to observe how the pandemic would affect rural life. I also worried about losing my mind confined in my flat with the children. During this journey, I did not experience any restrictions or unusual practices on the road.

However, after three weeks on the farm, I had to cut my stay short and travel back to Nairobi with the kids. We were stopped seven times along the road to take our temperatures. This experience surprised us because three weeks earlier, we used the same route, and the only stop we made was for refreshments.

This experience suggested that Kenyans were embracing the fight against the spread of the pandemic. It also showed that the fight had developed momentum, from the national Government, local Government and to individual responsibilities.

As we watched these developments, two-issue increased the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and an influx of information about the same. Over time, it was difficult to differentiate the facts from myths. However, one myth stood out that the virus could not affect people from African descent. People seemed sure Africans were safe until we began observing a turn of events, proving otherwise.

Like other people, Africans were vulnerable to the virus.

People took it upon themselves to raise awareness in their communities and social media. For example, a security guard at Jomo Kenyatta airport took it upon himself to bring Kenyans some news concerning the events at the airport. He recorded and shared a video on social media showing a Chinese airways plane landing at Jomo Kenyatta airport with 239 passengers on board, with no precautions taken as the airport received them. He used the video to show how some managers were turning a blind eye to the Coronavirus threat. Yet, the Government had advised Kenya Airlines Authority to commit to implementing all necessary measures to protect staff and airport users as guided by the Ministry of Health and National emergency response committee.

Although the security guard was suspended, he believed that somebody had to take action. He said he did what he did because there was no other way for people to be accountable as managers were neglecting the national safety measures.  In turn, his video raised public awareness and evoked some debates, forcing people in positions of power to react in enforcing COVID-19 response measures.

Debates involved the best way to sensitise the people about COVID-19. Experts argued that Kenya has excellent media coverage via national and private channels. They suggested that through partnerships with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, World Health Organisation and the NGOs, the media houses could develop videos, clips and you tubes explaining what the virus was about and how to minimise its spreading, including practising social distancing, hygiene and covering of the mouth and the nose. The approach was seen as the most effective war because most households have radios, televisions or smartphones.

Also, the Government put up more significant measures to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic, including closing schools, prohibiting large gathering, closing markets, restricting travels, and lockdowns in some cities, among others. These measures sent a wave of panic among Kenyans as people tried to abide by the new life. People worried about survival, forcing them to break these measures to look for food and other basic needs.

The Government turned to use of force to implement these measures, particularly lockdowns. Some people lost lives during this process, in turn creating more fear among people. In the end, people adhered to these preventive measures for fear of being arrested rather than as a precaution to keep them safe.

To fight misinformation, the Government via the Ministry of Health, collaborated with Kenyan mobile service providers to ensure Kenyans received timely and accurate awareness on the Coronavirus. Organisations joined the struggle to fund sensitisation and awareness campaigns in Nairobi about COVID-19. For example, on 8 May 2020, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization sponsored a two-month food safety campaign to sensitise people about food safety. They relied on traditional media and social media to reach as many Kenyans as possible.

However, the spread of misinformation persisted. Indeed, our Governor for Nairobi County, Mike Sonko, was heavily criticised for misleading remarks about alcohol and the Coronavirus. Tasked to explain why he added bottles of Hennessy cognac in food supplies for vulnerable people in the city, he said it would serve as a “throat sanitiser”. He reported, “From the research which has been conducted by the World Health Organization and various health organisations, it has been revealed that alcohol plays a preeminent role in killing the Coronavirus, or any sort of virus.” He seemed to have misinterpreted the WHO health advice. Indeed, the health organisation states that drinking alcohol does not protect you against the Coronavirus, but refers to the efficacy of alcohol-based gel to clean hands.  I believe misleading claims from such influential people in society have had adverse effects in the fight against COVID-19 in Kenya.  I am working through such issues as a contribution to collaborative research entitled, ‘COVID-19 and Racialised Risk Narratives in South Africa, Ghana and Kenya’.