At 100 days since Kenya reported its first case of coronavirus disease, the country has reached a critical time considering that some of the relief packages that targeted cushioning the public from related disruptions and economic shocks are lapsing.
Top among them are free money transactions, including the transfer where the telcos agreed to waive fees for sending Sh1,000 and below. According to the central bank, the holiday was to run for 90 days before a review is done.
Again, most of the banks that restructured their loans also pegged the relief to 90 days, which will soon end. Among employers, salary cuts or unpaid leave plans also focused on three months, believing the period was enough to see a return to normalcy. However, this is not the case with the number of confirmed cases rising despite restrictions. This has affected numerous businesses and social programmes like reopening schools and worship places.
Based on these, the government ought to return to the drawing board on economic activities and deliver a more robust rescue plan, taking into account the reality that controlling the disease and its economic effects will take longer than initially projected.
While the country responded well in the first phase of the pandemic, there is a need to reassure people and businesses that there is a deliberate effort to reduce the pain associated with the disruptions.
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