One of the shortest intros in the history of Nairobi newspaper journalism appeared on March 26. It simply said, “Man must live” (The Star, p.23). The story was headlined, “Traders ignore Covid-19 fears to eke out a living on the streets”.
The story from Lion Place appeared to be a response to Nairobi’s uncrowned ‘King of Radio’ Maina Kageni who operates from the same blue-and-white building up on Waiyaki Way.
Maina had spent most of his morning show the previous day preaching. Maina preaching? Yes, one of the signs of the apocalyptic end of the world. His oldest fans on the Classic FM show “Maina and King’ang’i” couldn’t quite recall the last time their mike wizard sounded so serious – bitter even.
Maina couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out why Kenyans were not heeding health restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus. So, he berated Kenyans, calling them undisciplined and other epithets.
Maina was not alone. The narrative that Kenyans are incorrigibly reckless has gone viral since the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed on March 13. News reports show it is business as usual in most parts of the country as Kenyans move and mingle, ignoring calls to stay at home, self-quarantine and social distancing.
The Daily Nation headline on March 24 thundered, “How Kenyans are courting death.” The blurb read:
“Despite a raft of measures announced by the government in a bid to contain coronavirus, it remains business as usual in most parts of the country, with thousands milling about the streets and markets, seeming oblivious to the danger they are exposing themselves and their families to.”
Daily Nation’s sister digital publication Nairobi News ran the headline, “Death wish: It’s business as usual as Kenyans snub stay home orders.”
The Standard was more damning: “Stop the madness!” its March 24 headline screamed. “Coronavirus outrage: Kenyans continue living dangerously as number of cases hits 16.”
Everyone seems to agree that Kenyans are behaving badly at a very dangerous time. But the story with the shortest intro – and several others carried by the media in recent days – offer a totally different perspective on this subject.
Kenyans have appeared on TV saying they were ready to die of coronavirus than stay at home and watch their children die of hunger. Millions of people live from hand to mouth. For them, a stay at home order is a death sentence.
It is therefore simplistic to conclude that Kenyans are being heedless in the face of the coronavirus pandemic that threatens to wipe humanity from the face of the earth. Let’s face the facts: How many Kenyans can stay at home for a week and survive? How many can strictly adhere to the social distancing restriction and stay alive?
“Mwangi has been selling chips for years. His customer base largely comprises travellers. The business guarantees his family food on the table. Hence, he says, he cannot close it despite the threat of coronavirus”, The Star reported.
There have been news reports from across the country of small traders engaging in running battles with police following the closure of markets by county authorities imposing coronavirus restrictions. The traders simply cannot live without going to the market.
Only a paltry 2.5 million Kenyans out of a population of 45 million are on a payroll. The rest do all kinds of work to earn a living. Nairobi alone has at least 200 slums inhabited by millions of poor people who must move and mingle to put ugali on the table.
Yet The Star newspaper told all those people in a March 25 front-page headline, “Stay at home to save your own life”.
Daily Nation said the people were idlers “milling about the streets and markets, seeming oblivious to the danger they are exposing themselves and their families to.”
There is no question the draconian health restrictions are necessary in the current extraordinary circumstances. But poor adherence is not just about indiscipline among Kenyans. Does the media understand the levels of poverty in Kenya – and that “Man must live”? Therein lies the Covid-19 dilemma for millions of people.
