There’s something new I want Kenyan leadership to learn and that is an honest dialogue with the people.
The outcomes of honest dialogue are a better understanding of an issue, collective decision-making and, most importantly, collective implementation of interventions.
I, categorically, call dialogue a new skill I need our leadership to learn because Kenyan leadership is notorious for its bubble thinking.
It sits with itself, advises itself and by itself attempts to implement unrealistic plans that are completely inept of the people’s realities.
This bubble thinking needs to stop as it is what is fuelling the shutdown of open markets, which is not a sustainable solution in containing coronavirus.
Traders, hawkers and daily income earners who depend on markets have painfully complained about being tear-gassed as a way to get them out of the markets.
Their stands and vending shades have been demolished to force them to stay at home.
But what’s puzzling is the fact leadership doesn’t seem to want to understand that even those who can afford to stay at home, depend on fresh market produce that’s supplied to grocery stores.
Nairobi, for example, is a consumer county with almost all of its food coming from other counties.
The population of Nairobi is made up of majority poor people, who can’t afford to buy food in grocery stores so open markets are their go-to place.
By shutting down open markets, we are enhancing pressure on people who are already grappling with reduced incomes, due to a slowed-down economy, to contend with high priced food.
Staying at home, therefore, becomes an expensive activity that the majority of Kenyans dependant on daily income can’t afford.
This is why we need leaders to start learning how to hear their people, understand their realities, and start dialoguing so they can offer informed and relevant solutions.
To keep open markets open may sound risky with coronavirus, but countries that are more populous than Kenya like India are already leaping ahead by applying simple and efficient measures.
So, instead of tear-gassing traders like what happened in Kisumu, leaders can start by spacing out these traders.
Spacing them out means ensuring that traders are positioned a metre apart as a preventative directive. This is possible to do with large open spaces that aren’t in use.
Working with these traders to ensure they each have hand sanitisers, markets have water and soap for those who come to buy; using mobile money to make payment is also doable.
People are calling for leadership that is willing to engage in collaborative work because no one wants to contract this virus.
It is possible to think and do things differently. In fact, if there’s anything coronavirus is demanding from all of us is to change our behaviours. This means foremost, changing the behaviour of leaders.
