Kenya is among several African countries that have experienced a decline in the local value of currencies.



By Terryanne Chebet



Kenya has had a tough few months: ballooning debt, an enormous wage bill, and a depreciating shilling exacerbated by global conditions. Now, the government is unable to pay its salaries. An increased import bill, investment portfolio outflows, and servicing of existing foreign debt have also resulted in the reserves falling below the statutory minimum of four months of imports, with the Kenya shilling depreciating to an all-time low of KES130 to the US dollar.



So, how did Kenya get here?&nbsp;



“It was a matter of &#8216;when&#8217; and not &#8216;if&#8217; KES would weaken to reflect its fundamentals. There have been successive external shocks since 2020, but the currency remained relatively stable relative to its peers. In this light, it is not surprising the sharp adjustment we have seen this year and which we see bringing it closer to its fundamental value,” explains Churchill Ogutu, an economist with IC Africa.&nbsp;



Kenya is among several African countries that have experienced a decline in the local value of currencies, with a 25% decline in value since 2020, to a large extent caused by the rising interest rate environment in the United States (US), which has witnessed a very aggressive rate tightening by the US Federal Reserve.&nbsp;



&nbsp;Kenya’s borrowing for the financial year 2022-2023 is also substantially behind target.



“Given the continued uncertainty in the global financial markets, it appears that [the government] will have no choice but to borrow at higher rates from the domestic markets,” adds Sunil Sanger, CEO of Orion Advisory.&nbsp;



Kenya is also looking to offload its parastatals to reduce pressure on funding and to raise capital.



Despite fears that Kenya could default on its external loans, experts say it is unlikely.&nbsp;



Ogutu notes that Kenya’s position may be fragile, but a default seems remote. “With FX reserves at multi-year low levels, it is higher than upcoming short-term external debt servicing costs. Thus, I see a muddling through regarding external debt servicing costs.”



He adds that a default on&nbsp;domestic borrowing seems to be more likely due to its outsized domestic debt servicing costs compared to external debt servicing costs.&nbsp;



The outflow of portfolio investments in equity and bond markets and higher import prices for commodities, particularly petroleum products has seen Kenya’s government importing petroleum products on a deferred payment basis. The government is pursuing the government-to-government oil importation deal with Gulf countries to alleviate pressure on the&nbsp;shilling.&nbsp;



The reduction in oil demand will also help to reduce the depreciation of the shilling though analysts argue that Kenya could have used the opportunity to build reserves and maybe even consider using those to start buying back its 2023 eurobond maturity, an action that could help to calm down the market nerves.



Ogutu argues that is short-term thinking. “At some point in time, the supply and demand in the FX market will still reflect the mandated OMC coming to the market sourcing dollars. Kenya may get a bit of reprieve in the short-term but ultimately, the supply-demand dynamics will come to play.”



Both analysts agree that the revival of the interbank market in the last few weeks is a positive sign and has helped to reduce some of the uncertainty in the exchange rate. However, given the economic environment both locally and internationally, it is difficult to see circumstances under which the Kenya shilling would appreciate from current levels. &nbsp;



However, Ogutu holds that the shilling isn’t out of the woods yet.



“I have the sense that the initial sugar rush in the FX interbank market has ebbed away, and the next FX guidance will be delivered with the imminent changes at the helm of CBK. That said, my base case is a continued further weakness with 140 on sight.”

African business

Kenya Currency Woes: How Did It Get There?

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/meg-whitman/?sh=259d18cf63cc">Meg Whitman</a>, the Republican nominee for California governor in 2010, was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/08/president-biden-announces-key-nominees/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nominated</a>&nbsp;by President Joe Biden to be U.S. ambassador to Kenya Wednesday, becoming the latest billionaire in line to earn a presidential appointment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Whitman previously served as CEO of eBay, Hewlett-Packard and Quibi and is a board member of Procter &amp; Gamble and General Motors.



She is worth $5 billion, according to&nbsp;Forbes’ most recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/meg-whitman/?sh=259d18cf63cc">estimates</a>, making her the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/">151st wealthiest person</a>&nbsp;in the United States as of September.



Whitman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2021/02/17/here-are-the-billionaires-who-donated-to-joe-bidens-2020-presidential-campaign/?sh=245bd1e921c4">donated</a>&nbsp;$508,400 to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and a joint fundraising committee tied to Biden and the Democratic National Committee.



Her nomination awaits confirmation by the Senate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Whitman amassed her fortune as eBay CEO from 1998 to 2008, overseeing the e-commerce giant’s meteoric rise. She soon turned her attention to politics, securing the Republican nomination in the 2010 California governor’s race, eventually losing to Democratic nominee Jerry Brown 53.8-40.9%. After&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2012/05/romneys-comrade-in-capitalism-meg-whitman-076870" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">campaigning</a>&nbsp;with Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election, Whitman backed Democrats Hillary Clinton and Biden in the 2016 and 2020 elections against former President Donald Trump, whom Whitman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/03/us/politics/meg-whitman-hillary-clinton.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">called</a>&nbsp;a “dishonest demagogue.” Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/07/13/biden-nominates-ex-gop-sen-jeff-flake--who-backed-him-over-trump--as-ambassador-to-turkey/?sh=364d33822bc5">previously nominated</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/23/cindy-mccain-un-ambassadorship-495752" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">other Republicans</a>&nbsp;who supported his campaign, tapping former Sen. Jeff Flake to be the ambassador to Turkey and Cindy McCain, wife of late Republican Sen. John McCain, to be the U.S.’s United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture representative (both were later confirmed by the Senate).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



Whitman joins a long line of billionaires who have served in presidential cabinets or as ambassadors. Estée Lauder heir&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/ronald-lauder/?sh=3828bd05558a">Ronald Lauder</a>&nbsp;served as the U.S. ambassador to Austria under former President Ronald Reagan. Hyatt Hotels heir&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/penny-pritzker/?sh=5bcb109b216e">Penny Pritzker</a>&nbsp;was the Secretary of Commerce under president Barack Obama. Two members of billionaire families were members of the Trump Administration, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/johnson/?sh=2cd53cb48a49">Woody Johnson</a>&nbsp;served as ambassador to the United Kingdom and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2019/07/24/inside-betsy-devos-billions-just-how-rich-is-the-education-secretary/?sh=32aca78b3b0e">Betsy DeVos</a>&nbsp;served as Secretary of Education.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$144 million. That’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2011/02/08/how-meg-whitman-spent-a-fortune-in-california/?sh=898fa517f4ad">how much</a>&nbsp;of her personal money Whitman spent in her unsuccessful 2010 bid for California governor.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2021/02/17/here-are-the-billionaires-who-donated-to-joe-bidens-2020-presidential-campaign/?sh=68e1d8f521c4">Here Are The Billionaires Who Donated To Joe Biden’s 2020 Presidential Campaign</a> (Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/"></a>By Derek Saul, Forbes Africa

Cannes Lions 2019 : Day Three

Biden Nominates Billionaire Meg Whitman As Ambassador To Kenya

In Beijing, UN Secretary-General António Guterres meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo credit: UN China/Zhao Yun April 2018

China, the UN, and the Global Opportunity for Partnerships & Progress

The UNICEF released a report in November last year titled COVID-19: A Catastrophe for Children in Sub-Saharan Africa, stating that prolonged school closures due to Covid-19 have presented multiple problems in the sub-Saharan African region. There is now a higher rate of teenage pregnancy, poor nutrition, and permanent dropouts from school.



Furthermore, the report read: “School closures have caused the number of children and adolescents not going to school to rise from around 100 million before the pandemic to 350 million.” A classroom report of different countries:



NIGERIA



Despite the fact that Nigeria is battling with the second wave of the pandemic, learners returned to school on January 18 this year. However, the House of Representatives asked the government to postpone the reopening by three months, due to the increasing number of Covid-19 deaths.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49958" width="335" height="223" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Olukayode Jaiyeola/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



&#8220;We are particularly concerned that when the infection rates hovered around 500 and under, schools were closed but now that it hovers well above 1,000 infections daily, schools are being reopened. Why are we rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure our children?” The House Committee on Basic Education and Services stated in a press release, reported This Day.



SOUTH AFRICA



The government announced on January 15 that schools will remain closed until February 15. This is due to concerns around the country’s more serious second Covid-19 wave. Teachers have had to report to schools at the beginning of February.



At the end of January the country&#8217;s Basic education Minister, Angie Motshekga, indicated in a gazette that the return of students will be staggered. Business Tech further reported that private school pupils will be allowed to return to school two weeks earlier than their public school counterparts.



KENYA



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49956" width="444" height="295" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px" /><figcaption>. (Photo by Dennis Sigwe/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



Schools in Kenya reopened at the beginning of the year after being closed since March 2020. VOA News reported that Kenya has yet to contain the pandemic and there are concerns among teachers and parents about being exposed to the infection.



ZIMBABWE



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-1024x678.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49957" width="267" height="177" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-768x508.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-2048x1356.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-600x397.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



At the end of last year, the country announced it would postpone the date schools reopen. Originally, learners were to return on January 4, but a new date would be announced in due course. This, however, is not only due to the pandemic but also coupled with the threat of flooding posed by Cyclone Chalane.



eSWATINI



After eSwatini strengthened its lockdown regulations on January 7, with a spike in Covid-19 cases, Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku announced that schools would remain closed indefinitely.



According to the SABC, the President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers in eSwatini, Mbongwa Dlamini, commended the government for postponing the reopening of schools.



“As a trade union of teachers, we are saying that the government should make sure that before schools are open, the schools should be safe for teaching and learning. So if the schools are not safe for teaching and learning, it is best for the government to wait.”

KENYA-HEALTH-VIRUS-EDUCATION

Covid’s Effects On African Classrooms

As 2021 begins, for the third week in a row, the number of new <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/latest-on-coronavirus-outbreak/for-3rd-week-covid-19-cases-fall-globally-who/2130519">COVID-19 cases globally has fallen</a>.



But over the past year, we have seen countries flatten the curve only to let their guard down. This complacency even found in nations with advanced healthcare systems, costs lives and devastated livelihoods.



While the prospect of vaccines in 2021 provides hope in defeating this virus, UN Secretary-General António Guterres&#8217;s message that &#8216;there is no panacea in a pandemic&#8217; is clear. Robust public health measures centred around the scientifically proven steps that prevent the spread of COVID-19 remain the most practical response. To its credit, China has set a good example by adopting this approach, as I have witnessed firsthand.



As the incoming UN Resident Coordinator to China, I travelled to Guangzhou from Kenya. In Kenya, I served in the same capacity, and as a <a href="https://kenya.un.org/en/107185-these-should-be-our-build-back-better-priorities-2021">UN Country Team in Kenya we joined the Government of Kenya in confronting the pandemic head on</a>.



And in my new role I was not and should not be afforded any preferential treatment on my arrival.



The rules were clear. From the very point of embarking for China, I was subject to the same requirements mandating certificate proof of a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid and IgM antibody test issued no more than two days before travel.



These tests form just part of a comprehensive testing and tracing system found in China, critical to preventing future outbreaks and clusters.



Upon arrival<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/siddharthchatterjee1un_covid19-activity-6756771231833317376-LWNB">, I noted the rigorous and orderly entry screening practices enforced in China</a>, with officials wearing appropriate personal protective equipment as they checked incoming travellers for signs and symptoms.



Like all passengers arriving in China, officials directed me to a designated hotel to complete a 21-day quarantine period.



These inconveniences are necessary to ensure controlling the spread of COVID-19 at the port of entry. I commend these well-orchestrated actions across a range of government departments to ensure the health and safety of the people in China, regardless of nationality is the highest priority.



I began my work in quarantine on 16 January 2021, preparing for my duties as Resident Coordinator and communicating virtually with new colleagues from the UN system in China. I look forward to greeting them in person and forging partnerships with the Government of China, development partners, academia, the private sector and many new and existing stakeholders.



During this, I have managed my time with a sense of purpose, as I kept in touch with loved ones, catching up on reading, writing, and reflecting. This was my first time in quarantine and a rigorous fitness regimen, combined with breathing exercises and a bit of yoga proved to be critical for keeping my mind and body sharp, positively buoyant and in fine fettle. I even managed to clock an average of 20,000 steps a day.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49904" width="515" height="687" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-300x400.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-600x800.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px" /><figcaption>The author doing a headstand in his hotel room. Yoga and breathing exercises are a good way to stay fit and achieve equilibrium particularly during quarantine.</figcaption></figure></div>



While I eagerly await the outside world upon the safe completion of this quarantine period on 06 February 2021, I know that the virus is still out there, mutating and turning more aggressive.



Recent COVID-19 outbreaks ahead of the Lunar New Year have alarmed authorities in China, who have responded in kind with proactive and aggressive measures.



Spring travel or &#8216;Chunyun&#8217; to be with families in this special time has been discouraged in certain municipalities in China, which happens to one of the world&#8217;s largest annual migration.



I acknowledge that these responses can place strain on our happiness and well-being, but it is critical that we not lose sight of our goal to defeat the virus.



This task still requires that we do all we can to protect each other. Governments, societies, and individuals everywhere must continue to encourage wearing masks, physically distancing, observing good hygiene etiquette and above all spreading compassion and not the virus.



These actions in unison with strengthening our testing, tracking and isolation systems will ensure our efforts on vaccines are not in vain with their rollout in the coming year.



With simple public health measures informed by science as adopted here in China, the world can slow the virus&#8217;s spread, save lives and livelihoods and end the pandemic.



I look forward to joining the UN family in China and we will continue to work in lockstep with the Government of China to fight COVID-19 and advancing universal health coverage.



Siddharth Chatterjee, 常启德 is the United Nations Resident Coordinator(designate) to China. Follow him on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/@sidchat1">@sidchat1</a>.

Health Checks at the airport

In Prevention Still Lies the Cure: Thoughts On China’s Fight Against COVID-19

Siddharth Chatterjee the UN Resident Coordinator with CS Eugene Wamalwa, Heads of Missions from the United Nations Mission and other development partners visited the Frontier Counties Development Council Counties with a view of leveraging on opportunities considering geographic proximities in addressing shared developmental challenges in the marginalized Counties. Photo Credit- West Pokot County, February 2020



Happy New Year, Kenya.



Several milestones in my personal and professional life have made Kenya a cherished place for me. I started my UNICEF career in Rumbek, South Sudan in June 2000, and my rest and recuperation breaks were in Nairobi. In fact Kenya was the first African country I had ever visited and, frankly, it was love at first sight.



I came back in November 2004 to serve with UNICEF Somalia based out of Nairobi, and in 2006 I got married in Kenya. My son who was 3 years old in 2014, has had his formative years growing up in Kenya, and considers himself Kenyan.



The following year I left to serve in Iraq, and I wondered if I would get an opportunity to return to Kenya. Seven years later, it happened: in April 2014 I came back as the United Nations Population Fund Representative (UNFPA) Representative and in August 2016, I was selected to lead the UN Country Team in Kenya as the UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Resident Representative. &nbsp;



Over the years, my bond with the country has been forged through jubilation and the shared suffering of tragedy. I have rejoiced at improvements in many health indicators in counties such as Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, Isiolo and Lamu where an unconscionable number of women used to die in childbirth, but where great progress has been made. I have also mourned in horror at the number of lives lost to terror attacks, the <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20141202164658-xlpzv/">murder of 36 quarry workers by terrorists in Mandera county</a> (I was in Mandera the same day), the slaughter of innocent students in Garissa University and the dastardly attack at <a href="https://youtu.be/29Ml0evxrCc">Nairobi’s DusitD2 hotel</a>.



The end of my tenure as UN Resident Coordinator to Kenya falls on 13 January 2021, with new experiences and challenges awaiting me as I prepare to take up my next position as the United Nations Resident Coordinator (designate) to China.&nbsp;



This is not the end of my relationship with Kenya, but rather an opportunity to strengthen my ties with the country, and for sharing my knowledge and first hand insights about its great potential. It is also a chance to entrench South-South-Cooperation, a crucial part of the answer to Kenya’s, and more broadly Africa’s, unique opportunities to accelerate growth.



I realize that Kenya still faces formidable challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to deepen this even more. Devolution has brought considerable resources and autonomy to counties, and yet lack of capacity, weak financial and regulatory oversight, will continue to hinder efforts to combat the asymmetry of wealth and human prosperity which will be a major obstacle to Kenya’s rise.



I am delighted with the country’s progress towards its Vision 2030 aspirations and the SDGs goals. School enrolment rates are up; more families are accessing maternal and child health services; social, economic and political opportunities for women have increased; major inroads have been made against child marriage and FGM, with President Kenyatta personally leading on this.



My experiences as the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya have reiterated that by prioritizing investments in women and youth, Africa’s real potential can be unleashed, and I am proud of the support on this that we have been able to provide through the entire UN Kenya Country Team.



By 2030 agri-business will be US$ 1 trillion worth in Africa. Almost two-thirds of Kenya’s population is below the age of 30, and the future of food production rests in their hands. Kenya’s economy is anchored in agriculture, where 70% of the population earns its livelihood.



In most parts of the world, crop yields have grown ahead of population increases, helping to free them from hunger and famine, but not in Africa. We looked for creative and sustainable ways to harness Kenya’s strong internet penetration to exploit information technology that adds value and strengthens the economic appeal of agri-business for young people and creates digital jobs as well.



President Kenyatta&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2019/11/african-leaders-have-a-duty-to-empower-the-youth-president-kenyatta/">has noted</a> that “the current generation of young people has the potential of expanding Africa’s productive workforce, promoting entrepreneurship and becoming genuine instruments of change to reverse the devastation caused by climate change.”&nbsp;



Africa’s demographic boom has been hailed as its biggest promise for transforming the continent’s economic and social outcomes, but only if the right investments are made to prepare its youthful population for tomorrow’s world. <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2020/08/03/with-proper-investment-in-youth-kenyas-potential-for-progress-is-unlimited/">Kenya launched the Generation Unlimited initiative spearheaded by the Head of State</a>, and can serve as a blueprint to harness the demographic dividend that Africa’s youth represent.



Women’s empowerment was our other key pursuit, with special emphasis on access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.&nbsp; Without this, Kenya’s population is likely to continue its rapid increase, putting pressure on land and water resources, threatening livelihoods, food security, and straining already weak health systems. Gains made in women’s sexual reproductive health and rights took several steps backward in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/opinion/2020/04/29/why-reproductive-rights-must-be-a-critical-part-of-our-arsenal-to-fight-pandemics/">.&nbsp;Reproductive rights must be a critical part of our arsenal to fight future pandemics.</a>



It is in Kenya also that I witnessed creative ways of overcoming bureaucracy. Large organisations are often accused of responding too late or with too little in times of crisis, and my tenure saw many. Drought, floods and the worst locust invasion in 70 years, plus the Covid-19 pandemic, all upended much hard-earned progress. As a team however, we went beyond individual UN agency mandates in partnership with the Government of Kenya to quickly establish rapid responses to these emergencies, reducing the socio-economic impact, earning the confidence of the Government and overturning the common perception of the UN as an unwieldy bureaucracy.



The Government’s leadership was meritorious on all counts and that is why <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/opinion/2020/09/30/the-triple-humanitarian-crisis-and-why-kenya-deserves-an-a-in-its-response/">I have stated unequivocally why Kenya deserves an A+ for its response to the triple humanitarian crisis.</a>



I am proud to have been part of many milestones in the partnership between both levels of the Government of Kenya and the UN, and to count on the unfailing support of the leadership of Kenya at all levels of Government. &nbsp;Kenya’s potential is boundless, and the country now offers stronger platforms for new shared-value investments than ever before.



I also express my sincere appreciation to the entire UN family in Kenya, the development partners, our donors and well-wishers and civil society partners and, most of all, the wonderful people of Kenya.&nbsp;



With a firm belief in a common destiny, I intend to keep telling the story of the emerging powerhouse that is Kenya.



My wife, son and I carry Kenya in our hearts.



Thank you for everything. Your generosity, love and friendship is nonpareil.



God Bless, Kenya.



Asante, Kenya, na kwaheri hadi tutakapo kutana tena!

Siddharth Chatterjee with CS Eugene Wamalwa, Heads of Missions from the United Nations Mission and other development partners visited the Frontier Counties Development Council Counties with a view of leveraging on opportunities considering geographic proximities in addressing shared developmental challenges in the marginalized Counties. Photo Credit- West Pokot County, February 2020

Frontier-Counties

This Is Not A Goodbye, Kenya

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Siddharth Chatterjee was recently appointed by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General&nbsp;António Guterres&nbsp;as the UN’s Resident Coordinator in China, a role he will take up in January. Most recently, he has served as the UN’s Resident Coordinator in Kenya. &nbsp;



Having held leadership positions in various parts of the world with the UN, he has more than 25 years of experience in international development and cooperation. &nbsp;



In this interview with FORBES AFRICA from Nairobi, Kenya, Chatterjee speaks about&nbsp;his new job in the world’s second largest economy, implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and&nbsp;placing human rights at the center of all Covid-19 recovery efforts. &nbsp;



We ask what the world needs at this crucial hour, and he speaks about “strengthening multilateralism as a clarion call”.&nbsp;



A decorated officer in the Indian army before joining the UN in 1997, he is also a proud feminist, having worked towards furthering gender equality in all the countries he has worked in, including some of the&nbsp;conflict-ridden regions of the world such as Somalia and South Sudan, also drawing interesting anecdotes from those experiences. In this interview, he also dwells on&nbsp;how the African continent can realize its full human potential.&nbsp;&nbsp;

6b4eba174ff68e11ebb69d8db660c7e0

What Does The World Need At This Hour?

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="682" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/HR-Picture-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49156" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/HR-Picture-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/HR-Picture-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/HR-Picture-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/HR-Picture-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/HR-Picture.jpg 1211w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Let’s fight COVID-19 together: a mural painted by community artists, supported by the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, to deliver information and messages on COVID-19 through artistic illustrations along some of the busiest streets around Maringo and Kibera, two informal settlements in Nairobi. Photo credit: Defenders Coalition. </figcaption></figure>



On 10 December every year, we celebrate Human Rights Day, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.&nbsp; The Universal Declaration guarantees a spectrum of human rights that belong to each of us equally, and unite us as a global community and upholds our humanity.



This year, 2020, has been one of unprecedented challenges and has underscored the need for renewed action to promote and protect human rights.&nbsp; The COVID-19 pandemic has tested societies across the globe, and set back human rights gains and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.&nbsp;



In Kenya, the multi-faceted impacts of the pandemic – on gender equality, health, education, livelihoods, rule of law and the economy – have tested efforts by the Government, United Nations, development partners and civil society to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, Vision 2030 and the Big 4 development agenda, and challenged us to ensure that we leave no one behind.



The crisis has hit the poorest and most vulnerable communities the hardest, and entrenched existing inequalities, discrimination and human rights challenges.&nbsp; Gender-based violence has skyrocketed; loss of employment and livelihoods have put further strain on families; the right to education is at risk for many children, particularly girls; and inequalities in access to water, adequate housing and health services have heightened vulnerabilities.



In this context, the theme of Human Rights Day 2020 is “Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights”, highlighting the need to build back better from the COVID-19 crisis by putting human rights at the heart of recovery efforts. &nbsp;This is a call to action and for unity of purpose to tackle discrimination, address inequalities, encourage participation and solidarity, and promote sustainable development for the benefit of all.



As the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, once remarked, “the pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of our world”. The crisis has exposed and exacerbated deep inequalities, entrenched discrimination and gaps in human rights protection.&nbsp; Only measures to close these gaps and advance human rights can ensure we fully recover and build back a world that is more resilient, just and sustainable.&nbsp;



COVID-19 has created an opportunity to build back a more equal and sustainable world – based on a “new social contract” that respects the rights and freedoms of all, and addresses the inequalities exposed by the pandemic.&nbsp; This “new social contract” – uniting Governments, the people, civil society and private sector – is the only way that we will meet the Sustainable Development Goals.



In this Decade of Action to deliver upon the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, it is imperative to prioritise participation and inclusion, to ensure that we leave no one behind. &nbsp;Successful COVID-19 recovery efforts require the robust participation of civil society and inclusion of communities, to ensure the voices and priorities of the most affected, vulnerable and marginalised inform the recovery efforts.&nbsp; Public participation is a key tenet of the Constitution of Kenya, and has a key role to play in the COVID-19 recovery.



It is clear that this pandemic cannot be surmounted by a single actor.&nbsp; It is against this backdrop that the United Nations Country Team and the Government of Kenya, in line with the motto Umoja ni Nguvu (Unity is Strength), have identified strategic areas of cooperation and engagement under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, as well as the Socio-Economic Response Plan, that target COVID-19 recovery needs and continue the trajectory towards the Sustainable Development Goals.&nbsp; This is underpinned by a human rights-based approach that prioritises equality and non-discrimination, participation and inclusion, and accountability.



The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that we are all in this together – and solidarity is the only way forward.&nbsp; Everyone has a role to play in building a better post-COVID world for present and future generations, and we must harness the active participation of communities, civil society, private sector, Government and the international community.&nbsp;



On this Human Rights Day, let us all commit to Stand Up for Human Rights to build back a more equal and sustainable society that advances the rights and freedoms of all.&nbsp; This unity of purpose will pave the way to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and delivering Kenya’s Vision 2030.



Siddharth Chatterjee is the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya. He has served in various parts of the world with UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNOPS, UN Peacekeeping and the Red Cross Movement. He is an alumnus of Princeton University. Follow him on twitter-<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">@sidchat1</a>

Human rights must be at the heart of the COVID-19 recovery

A new report released by Oxford Insights shows that even though there is a digital divide as well as data poverty in Africa, five countries on the continent are taking leaps into leveraging technologies to accelerate economic growth with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).&nbsp;



In the 2020 Government AI Readiness Index Mauritius took the 45th position globally out of 172 countries across the world, making it the highest-ranked African country on the index. According to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MEWNMV6MQI&amp;feature=youtu.be">Oxford Insights</a>, Mauritius has always been forward-looking in terms of AI as it is is the only country on the continent to have published an AI strategy.&nbsp;



“Mauritius approach to AI is fantastic… They have a clear strategy as to what they want to achieve. They are also bringing the private sector and academia with them. They have a council with all of these sectors on them. They are investing in the skills and they are thinking about how that can be transferred back into the industry. That’s amazing and that’s the perfect playbook,” Richard Stirling, Oxford Insights CEO says. &nbsp;



The methodology of this index looks at a countries’ government’s willingness to adopt AI and if the country has a good supply of AI expertise and tools from the technology sector. In addition to that part, these tools need to be built and trained on high-quality and representative data with the appropriate infrastructure to be delivered to and used by citizens. 



Mauritius is also ranked 13 out of 34 countries on this year’s Responsible Use Sub-Index. This index, also by Oxford Insights, tracks the ethical use of AI in countries across the globe. The debate around responsible AI was put into focus this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, issues around privacy as well as ongoing global inequality. The index was measured using inclusivity, accountability, transparency, and privacy as some of its main indicators.&nbsp;



“Just because you are good at building AI, it does not mean you are using it ethically and responsibly,” Stirling says.&nbsp;



Among Mauritius, South Africa was also placed 59th globally on Government AI Readiness Index, Seychelles 68th, Kenya 71st, and Rwanda taking the 87th position. And although these countries are lower, Stirling elaborates on how these countries have focused on skills development which will harness the potential for AI not only in public services but in other sectors. Nations from the US, the UK to Russia, China, and Israel hold the top positions on the index, however, there are no countries in Africa in the top 20.&nbsp;



“We are lagging in technological development so we are playing catch up most of the time and essentially we are in catch up mode,” Araba Sey, Sub-Saharan Africa AI expert, commented on the Oxford Insights website.&nbsp;



Jean Lebel, President, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), added in a statement that though Ai has the potential to transform governance and public services throughout the world, there is a danger that regions, like in Africa, will be left behind. Lebel further adds that the index should encourage new collaborations and investments that could potentially assist with the barriers to government&#8217;s AI readiness and responsibilities. 



“We believe that this, in part, will help those currently lagging behind in our index to improve their AI readiness so that existing economic and technology inequality doesn&#8217;t become further entrenched and leave billions of citizens with worse quality public services,” Lebel said.

Young femal e engineer concept. GUI (Graphical User Interface).

Mauritius, South Africa & Seychelles Are In The Driver’s Seat Of AI Readiness In Africa

<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1280" height="1280" src="">



The United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Ms Amina Mohammed recently commended “<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/dsg/statement/2020-09-25/deputy-secretary-generals-remarks-the-high-level-event-beyond-covid-19-public-private-partnerships-for-the-sdgs-model-for-building-back-better-prepared-for-delivery" target="_blank" data-id="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/dsg/statement/2020-09-25/deputy-secretary-generals-remarks-the-high-level-event-beyond-covid-19-public-private-partnerships-for-the-sdgs-model-for-building-back-better-prepared-for-delivery" data-type="URL">Kenya’s exemplary role in its response to COVID-19 and in advancing Agenda 2030</a>”. 



On Monday, 28 September 2020, the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta hosted a national conference on COVID 19. I was invited to speak about Kenya’s response, and without equivocation I restate what I said&#8211;Kenya deserves an A + rating. 



Here’s why!



When the COVID-19 pandemic struck Asia, Europe and the US, experts began to worry about what it would do to poor countries, with predictions of thousands of deaths, serious infections as well as the near-total collapse of already ailing health systems. 



How would Africa, characterised by crowded living conditions, widespread poverty and a lack of basic hygienic facilities deal with such a devastating and largely unknown pathogen? 



Months later, such horror scenarios have not materialised and the question has changed to why most of Africa is seeing comparably less devastation. As explained by President Uhuru Kenyatta during the National Covid-19 Conference, “the reason why we have managed to flatten the curve is because Kenyans have exercised an impressive civic responsibility and duty.” 



A reality that tends to be lost in all the discussions about this novel coronavirus in Kenya is just how much pummelling the country’s social and economic structures have received lately. 2020 was a particularly difficult year for Kenya. A triple crisis, coming on the heels of a protracted period of droughts, a cholera epidemic and not to underestimate the spectre of cross-border terror attacks, which dented one of Kenya’s biggest foreign exchange earners-tourism.



Consider this. In 2017, nearly half of the counties of Kenya w<a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20171023130503-xo7f4/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://news.trust.org/item/20171023130503-xo7f4/">as reeling from the effects of probably the worst drought in the last 20 years</a>. With nearly 3.4 million people food insecure, Kenya’s food security prognosis looked gloomy, with climate change and natural resource depletion set to pose even greater risks in the long term. 



Often unnoticed is the insidious effect on the country&#8217;s economy, with experts estimating that there have been, &#8220;12 serious droughts since 1990&#8221;. The average annual costs of the damage caused estimated at around KHS 125 billion ($1.25 billion) &#8212; with each drought reducing the country&#8217;s <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/kenya/insuring-against-climate-risk-kenya" data-type="URL" data-id="https://reliefweb.int/report/kenya/insuring-against-climate-risk-kenya">Gross Domestic Product by an average of 3.3 percent</a>. 



The two consecutive national elections in 2017 also took a massive financial toll. 



Given the dire financial situation, it is quite remarkable, the resilience, tenacity and optimism, Kenya has displayed in the face of such adversity, and done so with their head held high, with stoicism and compassion in its fight against the triple threat. 



Since the beginning of the year, Kenya has gone through a series of unprecedented crises, where within six months it has experienced the worst desert locust invasion in 70 years, heavy unusual flooding that has left scores of people dead and thousands displaced, and the pandemic that is taking a toll on health services and the economy. 



Aware of the technological and financial handicaps facing the health sector, the government has responded commendably in leading the fight against COVID-19, from mandating physical distancing to wearing of masks, promoting hand and respiratory hygiene, promptly dealing with rumours, to specialised facilities in hospitals, to working with industry to deliver local equipment such as PPEs, to delivering economic relief to impacted families. And above all not allowing politics to hijack the wisdom of science.



In about six months after the first case was reported, Kenya increased the number of infectious diseases isolation beds from eight to just over 7,000 across the country, thus keeping the casualty rates low. This was a remarkable feat achieved through unity of purpose between the national and county governments. 



The government rolled out moderate stimulus packages to help families ride out the economic turbulence and cushion companies from financial shocks. The Treasury instituted tax relief for low-income earners and reduced VAT rates as well as corporate sales tax for businesses. In a country already facing slow GDP growth, these were commendable actions of national self-sacrifice and coming together in times of crises. 



When you look at some of the most developed countries in the world, buckling to the microscopic and highly virulent coronavirus and their national responses are properly examined, Kenya does score an ‘A+’ in how quickly and decisively the government acted in the COVID-19 crisis. Measures such as travel restrictions, curfews and school closures were implemented early in the country, before the number of infections rose. 



As testament to the spirit of coming together to confront a common adversary, there was broad support from the public for these measures. In social media and elsewhere, citizens were quick to express responsible outrage where they felt those responsible for the response at various levels were not keeping to the expected standards. 



This grit and determination to rise to the occasion even where resources are hard to come by was key in getting on board international donor agencies and private sector to mobilise funding to support the national response. The UN in Kenya repurposed $45 million from the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) towards the COVID response, and deployed over 150 staff and volunteers to the government response structures. 



In partnership with the Government of Kenya, the UN launched a Flash Appeal to mobilize $267.5 million to support more than 10 million vulnerable people affected by the pandemic, of which nearly US$ 60 million was raised. An additional US$ 10 million dollars was allocated by the UN Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, to construct a new specialized 100 bed COVID 19 hospital in Nairobi, which will remain as additional capacity even after the pandemic is over. 



The UN in Kenya has prepared a COVID-19 socioeconomic response and recovery plan to address the health care system, social protection, employment opportunities and social cohesion. The recovery plan will be implemented in the next two years and will cost $155 million to focus on recovering better from the pandemic for the Sustainable Development Goals.



The country is still in the maelstrom of the pandemic. The devastating consequences of the pandemic have not fully played out and important challenges remain, some wrought by the pandemic but many that continued long before, such as high health care costs for millions of Kenyans, gender inequalities, widespread poverty, youth unemployment, environmental degradation, corruption and terrorism. 



The country must converge at every level to address these threats today or suffer the consequences tomorrow. Recovery will be made much tougher by the economic toll of COVID-19 as well as an exhausted and depleted health system. 



Still, the pandemic has shown that Kenya can overcome partisanship, think anew and work on short and longer-term sustainable development priorities towards ‘building back better’, with more resilience to future shocks. 



As the<a href="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/dsg/statement/2020-09-25/deputy-secretary-generals-remarks-the-high-level-event-beyond-covid-19-public-private-partnerships-for-the-sdgs-model-for-building-back-better-prepared-for-delivery" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/dsg/statement/2020-09-25/deputy-secretary-generals-remarks-the-high-level-event-beyond-covid-19-public-private-partnerships-for-the-sdgs-model-for-building-back-better-prepared-for-delivery"> UN Deputy Secretary General, Ms Mohammed</a> said, “I am convinced that Kenya will continue demonstrating that results and transformation are possible and I call upon all of you to double your efforts to invest at scale in those critical interventions that will unlock benefits across all the goals, to make bold choices, to take decisive action and to leave no one behind in your pursuit of a better future&#8221;. 



Kenyans can be fully assured of the commitment of the United Nations to overcome every adversity, leapfrog socio-economic recovery and progress to realise Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.



Siddharth Chatterjee is the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya. He has served in various parts of the world with UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNOPS, UN Peacekeeping and the Red Cross Movement. A decorated Special Forces veteran, he is an alumnus of Princeton University. Follow him on twitter-<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">@sidchat1</a>

Triple Threat

The Triple Humanitarian Crisis and Why Kenya Deserves An A + in its Response

He ran away from his circumstances in war-torn South Sudan. Today, this refugee athlete has crossed boundaries, broken barriers and has Olympic aspirations.



Seventy million. That’s the number of refugees forcibly displaced worldwide. The size of an entire nation. People without homes in a world that is now saying ‘stay home, stay safe’.



&nbsp;Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed is one of them, forced to leave his home at a young age. Still in his 20s, this South Sudan-born migrant refused to confine himself within boundaries. In fact, he crossed several of them, as a full-time ‘refugee athlete’, eventually making it to the finish line and winning gold at world sporting events.



When he was only eight years old, he had to endure the tragedy of losing his father – who was shot and killed by the militia in his home country. “When you grow up, you have your dad and you don’t need to worry about anything because someone cares about you, and [then] you lose him and life goes from good to terrible and that’s how I decided to do something for my siblings because I was now the head of the family,” recalls Mohammed.



In 2010, this led him to decide to leave his conflict-ridden country to seek greener pastures. However, he legally couldn’t because he was underaged, but arranged to pay to have his date of birth changed.



“I saved money and changed my birth year from 1996 to 1993. I then traveled to Egypt and then Israel and slept in the park until I met a kind Sudanese person who let me move into his house.”



Two years on, Mohammed had made friends in the foreign country and played football with them. One of them advised him to take to athletics because he could run behind a ball for hours.



In 2014, he joined a club, and won his very first competition.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">&#8220;When you grow up, you have your dad and you don’t need to worry about anything because someone cares about you, and [then] you lose him and life goes from good to terrible and that’s how I decided to do something for my siblings because I was now the head of the family.”</blockquote>



Today, Mohammed is a part of the Athlete Refugee Team (A.R.T), formed in early 2017 by Kenyan long-distance runner, Tegla Loroupe, for refugee track athletes competing in global IAAF (World Athletics) events and the Olympics. A.R.T is funded by On Running, IAAF, the UNHCR and Pascal Gerdsmeier, a private investor based in Monaco. A.R.T, made up of refugees from the Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Morocco, is hoping to take them to next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games as medal contenders.



A 90-minute documentary titled RUN, released on June 20 (World Refugee Day), depicts the story of A.R.T from inception to the current coronavirus crisis that has stalled the sporting world. The documentary, shot over three years and across three continents, follows the athletes’ “emotional journey to compete at the Olympics”, and covers their lives, from “living in war-torn tribal regions to competing on the world stage”. It’s the story of the human spirit and how sport can change lives.



Since 2017, Mohammed has traveled between Europe and Africa competing professionally. A top contender for the now-postponed Olympics, he continues training hard for the proposed event in 2021. He ran away from his destiny at a young age, and continues to change the course of his life.

Jamal Mohammed [2]

Success In The Long Run

In 1993, Dr James Mwangi walked away from a promising career at one of Kenya’s largest banks, to join the Equity Building Society. Three decades on, few could have predicted his entrepreneurial leadership would work to transform not just Equity but the financial services of the region. FORBES AFRICA meets the man behind East Africa’s billion-dollar banking empire.



Dr James Mwangi, Managing Director and CEO of Kenya’s Equity Group, is a captivating figure. His trademark smile and down-to-earth demeanour set him apart from the traditional banker. But Mwangi isn’t your run-of-the-mill chief executive. His journey to the C-suite has been fuelled by sheer resolve, belligerent bravado, and an uncanny concern for his customers.



It’s hard to believe that the force behind East Africa’s pioneering billion-dollar banking brand grew up in circumstances far removed in rural Nyagatugu, a tiny village flanking the Aberdare mountains in central Kenya.



“I am a product of my upbringing [and] it has [had] a significant influence on how I see things today&#8230; [but] my village of Nyagatugu was not enough to say that I conquered Africa,” declares Mwangi from his office at Equity’s corporate headquarters in Upperhill, Nairobi’s swanky business district, in an interview with FORBES AFRICA in July.



The banker describes his childhood as humble, dignified but fraught with difficulty. Born in 1962 to peasant farmers, Mwangi’s parents had no formal education and lived apart from what he calls the ‘monetary society’. As a boy, he had never met anyone who owned a bank account or even fathomed being served by any of the country’s banks which, at the time, only catered to a privileged few.



“It was a simple life. As boys, we grazed cows and goats&#8230; we hunted wild animals like rabbits. Growing up, we didn’t know [if] people were ‘well-off’ or [if] people were ‘poor’, we were all equals. [As a community], we built houses together, tilled the land together, and even socialized together at village dances,” he reminisces.



While it may seem contradictory, it was this deeply communal atmosphere that inspired the business that Mwangi built.



Founded in 1984, Equity did not start its commercial life as a bank but as a mutual society trading as the Equity Building Society (EBS). Back then, as Kenya was forging a new national identity, most banks were hesitant to provide its vast population with even the most basic financial services. As an answer, indigenous building societies took root. However, while buffeted by good intention, these fledgling financial institutions were poorly run, leading many to ruin.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">&#8220;I realized that there is no wealth without work! Entrepreneurship means folding up your sleeves and working. Profit is the reward.&#8221;</blockquote>



In the 1970s, while these societies were emerging, life’s challenges had already begun to shape the young Mwangi. Shortly after his birth, his family had suffered a major tragedy with the untimely death of his father. His mother, Grace Wairimu, was not only widowed but was left with seven children to raise on a meager income.



Never having gone to school herself, Mwangi’s mother, who was an anchor throughout his life, was adamant that all her children, including her daughters, would study; a controversial decision at the time. And she was not prepared to compromise.



To achieve this dream, Wairimu imposed a strict code of discipline in her household whilst encouraging an entrepreneurial fervor in her children. The family sold milk, tea, charcoal, and fruits to stay afloat. It was an important training ground for the young Mwangi.



“We were vending to eke out a living, to pay school fees, and to feed the family. My instinct for commerce [came] from [there]&#8230; I realized that there is no wealth without work! Entrepreneurship means folding up your sleeves and working. Profit is the reward,” he explains.



Nyagatugu was where Mwangi really cut his teeth in business. Then, owing to his academic talent, he had the opportunity to study the theory that governed his early entrepreneurial experiences, on scholarship, at the University of Nairobi several years later.



“Taking milk to the village restaurant or selling fruits to the village middleman, who would take them to [the market] in Nairobi, introduced me to the concept of ‘supply chains’. I realized that I was the ‘primary producer’ with my mother, the ‘middleman’ dealt with logistics, and then an ‘aggregator’, who was our face in the marketplace, played on volume and made more money than everyone else. The owner of the shop received [goods] from the ‘aggregator’ and sold them to ‘consumers’, through the ‘brand’ of his shop. I [finally] understood how the value created [in the supply chain] was shared.”



After university, Mwangi began his career as an auditor with Ernst &amp; Young in Nairobi. Four years later, he moved to the now-defunct Trade Bank Group. Then an innovative financial services firm, founded in 1985, it quickly gained prominence as Kenya’s first attempt at mass-market banking.



Over a brief career at the bank, he climbed the ranks from teller to Group Financial Controller.



However, just as things were looking up, a familiar face came calling. In 1993, the EBS was in trouble, with debt on its books. Founder and Chairman, Dr Peter Munga, had known Mwangi as a boy and was convinced that the young banker was his only hope. By then, Equity had been declared insolvent and was facing dissolution.



“We came from the same village where I had developed the reputation of a ‘brilliant boy’. I was the first boy [from Nyagatugu] to get a university degree. I was also a youth leader in the church. In Nairobi, I had risen up to be a director at Trade Bank by the age of 28 [where] I had a reputation for being a sharp young man who was good at analytics and bold decision-making. All of that combined to package me, in the eyes of Dr Munga (and other EBS executives), as a credible, reliable person,” he says.



Munga’s confidence was not misplaced. Eager to oblige, 31-year-old Mwangi left his job at Trade Bank to take on a role as Director of Strategy at the stagnating society.



“I had gone with [EBS executives] to Central Bank because they had been condemned with closure. Suddenly, the Governor looks at me, as I try to plead their case for more time, and he says [to me], ‘if it was you who was talking of turnaround, then I would give you the opportunity’. I was between a rock and a hard place; if I hadn’t made the sacrifice to join them, then they would [have had] to close,” recalls Mwangi.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">&#8220;I had a singular mind to build a bank for my mother who [I saw] bury savings under her mattress.&#8221;</blockquote>



So, in a seemingly fool-hardy move, the young banker agreed to take on mounting debt, unpaid salaries, dwindling membership, and declining morale at Equity. He even remortgaged his own house to inject some desperately needed cash into the business, inextricably linking his fate, and hard-won reputation, with that of the beleaguered building society.



&nbsp;Given a carte blanche to transform the business and with no option of turning back, Mwangi was determined to meet his mandate.



“I had made the decision from an emotional aspect [and] I didn’t want to fail them. But I hadn’t realized that Equity was in [such] a bad state. It had not done any [debt] reconciliation, it had not published accounts for three years, and it had not had a board meeting for [over] two years. With everything at stake, it was only my entrepreneurial skill that would [eventually] get us out of insolvency.”



Mwangi’s reforms were more an attempt at reinvention rather than resuscitation. He began by re-training the organization’s remaining staff in the ethos that would later come to define them – customer care.



“We didn’t have money&#8230; the currency that created Equity was a passion to please the customer. I had a very small staff, none of whom had gone beyond Form 4 [Grade 10]. They didn’t have the skills but they had enthusiasm. We didn’t [even] have a meaningful product so we had to give our clients an experience that they had never had anywhere else and that they were willing to pay for,” he continues.



According to a Lagos Business School case study, Mwangi ensured that, in this way, his 12,000 customers were accorded with the dignity they deserved, breathing new life into the institution. This had an impact on both sides of the counter. Customers felt valued and continued to patronize the building society. On their side, staff felt confident and empowered even whilst working long hours.



&nbsp;In 1997, things looked promising. Equity had cleared its debts, encouraging staff and customers to begin purchasing shares in the company. This time around, Mwangi made sure that records were meticulously kept.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">“We didn’t have money&#8230; the currency that created Equity was a passion to please the customer.&#8221;</blockquote>



According to its website, Equity’s client accounts had grown exponentially from 32,000, in 1997, to 482,000 by 2005. This exemplary track record allowed Mwangi to raise capital from the European Union (EU), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and other institutional lenders to introduce computing technology to the building society, paving way for his ambitious expansion plans.



“Transaction times dropped from 30 minutes to five, queues disappeared, the process, including signatures and so on, was automated. Equity was now on a rapid, but solid, growth path,” notes Mwangi in a 2012 interview to African Business.



Steady growth made the building society’s transition to Equity Bank, in August 2004, possible. Two years later, the bank listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Bolstered by further investment, Equity made its first foray into the region, listing on the Uganda Securities Exchange, as EBL in 2009.



Within five years, the bank was operating subsidiaries in Rwanda, Tanzania, and was among the first to open branches in South Sudan, Africa’s youngest country. By 2019, the bank had transformed, yet again, becoming Equity Group Holdings, with customers across East Africa.



In 2020, three decades after Mwangi made his debut, the Equity Group boasted a market capitalization of KES128.1 billion (approx. $1.3 billion) making it the largest banking outfit in East Africa, out-rivalling its closest competitors.



Equity’s tremendous transformation is due, in large part, to what is now known as ‘The Mwangi Model’. Thanks to this ground-breaking framework, Mwangi has been able to introduce a bulk of East Africa’s low-income population to the financial services sector. It is a model of inclusion that thrives on high volumes, low margins, and mass-market appeal.



“I realized [after leaving Trade Bank] that it was not the bank of the common man. My mother would have never been able to [open] an account there. Nobody in my village would have qualified for an account either. In fact, not even [EBS Founder] Dr Peter Munga would have qualified. I had a singular mind to build a bank for my mother who [I saw] bury savings under her mattress,” reveals Mwangi.



At the time, this drive to serve the so-called ‘unbankable’ population had only been attempted once before at the Grameen Bank founded in 1984 by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh. However, in Kenya, the model was risky, untested, and needed modifying.



“To be honest, [in 1993] I didn’t have a very good view of what Muhammad Yunus was doing. His [main product] was group lending, Equity started out with individual lending. I simply wanted to remove the barriers for people, like my mother, in opening bank accounts. We could do better than a mattress!”



This revolutionary perspective blew open the Kenyan banking sector. By eliminating monthly ledger fees, minimum balance requirements, and easing withdrawal limits, Equity ended up engineering a product that it could bank on.



By 2000, Mwangi says, Equity began signing on an average of 100 new clients per day. Going directly to its customers, initially, in weekly marketing campaigns in rural towns and villages, the bank eventually developed a network of third-party ‘banking agents’ to provide services across Kenya, even in the most far-flung corners.



Today, with mobile banking, Equity’s customers benefit from yet more convenience with access anywhere, any time, and at a minimal cost.



As a result, Mwangi’s entrepreneurial reward has extended far beyond profit. The ‘Mwangi Model’ has been recognized and analysed in case studies at some of the world’s most prestigious business schools including Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, and the Lagos Business School.



He is also the holder of numerous honorary degrees and the winner of countless awards for his commercial prowess. The first, and most memorable, he says, was the ‘Global Vision Award’, which Mwangi won alongside fellow micro-finance trailblazer, Muhammad Yunus, at the 2007 G8 Summit.



In 2012, after clinching the title of FORBES AFRICA ‘Person of the Year’, the Kenyan banker triumphed over 58 global business leaders to become the first African ever to be crowned Ernst &amp; Young’s ‘World Entrepreneur of the Year’ in Monaco.



Mwangi, as Founding Chairman of the Equity Group Foundation (EGF), is also a prolific philanthropist. In May this year, EGF, with the Mastercard Foundation, pledged KES1.1 billion ($10.3 million), to Kenya’s Covid-19 response and to provide personal protective equipment to frontline medical staff in public hospitals. A portion of the endowment, KES300 million ($2.8 million), was a personal donation from the Mwangi family. Since March, the banker has been a member of the Covid-19 Emergency Fund Committee, a 10-member board peopled by the country’s most accomplished private sector leaders, convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta.



A key feature of the ‘Mwangi Model’ is its resilience which the current pandemic is putting to the test. In June, Equity saw its acquisition plans, through the highly-anticipated Altas Mara deal, in Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia, halted. Instead, Mwangi announced that the Group was doubling down and would take a more conservative approach to see through the crisis. In an unprecedented move, shareholder dividend payments were also delayed to safeguard liquidity reserves.



“Covid-19 has been a turning point. We have analysed over 1,200 years of data, starting with the bubonic plague, to understand this [Covid-19] pandemic. The only way we can survive this is if [our] business is agile and resilient enough to navigate these times.”



While much is still uncertain, the pandemic has had some positives for Mwangi, a proud husband and family man.



“I am not a very outgoing character so ‘working from home’ has been very exciting for me. I’ve been able to spend more time with my family, which is important for me,” he says.



On another high note, Mwangi jests that Covid-19’s most visible impact has not been on his balance sheet but his waistline.



“I have been making the best of this crisis. Instead of 30 minutes, I am now able to put in at least two and a half hours at the gym. When I look at myself [in the mirror], my body is looking much better!”



Despite the present tumult, Mwangi insists that the fundamentals remain unchanged and only the things that matter get him up, at 3AM, to start his day.



“Seeing a smile in people’s lives still makes me happy. I’ve lived a full life and it’s humbling to know that the child my mother raised has not changed and [with the values she taught me] I’m able to share what I have with others. Thirty years later, it’s been a journey of changing one life at a time.”&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="683" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/frbs01-07-2020-0073-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-46892" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/frbs01-07-2020-0073-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/frbs01-07-2020-0073-scaled-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/frbs01-07-2020-0073-scaled-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/frbs01-07-2020-0073-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/frbs01-07-2020-0073-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/frbs01-07-2020-0073-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/frbs01-07-2020-0073-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /></figure>



James Mwangi’s 10 Tips For Entrepreneurs During Covid-19



1. Stick and focus on purpose, use essence to filter dos and don’ts.



2. Protect the public license. Society will never forget the side or position you took when you had the chance.



3. Support the supply and value chain and recover. Bend backwards to accommodate your business’ unusual circumstances.



4. Adopt a shared prosperity model using social and impact investing.



5. Adapt to ‘the new normal’. Be aware Covid-19 might have irreversibly changed your world in terms of resource reallocation, priorities, tastes and preferences.



6. Be part of the solution to our shared global challenges in humanity, health, and livelihoods. Don’t run away from the reality your customers are facing.



7. Focus on the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution like digitization, big data, technology and innovation.



8. Adopt an appropriate leadership style for these uncertain times. Provide visibility, hope and answers to concerns and when carrying your followers along with you.



9. Preserve cash, liquidity, and capital reserves for the long haul.



10. It is all about people: staff, customers, society and humanity.



– By Marie Shabaya

frbs01-07-2020-0038

The People’s Banker: ‘Entrepreneurship Means Folding Up Your Sleeves And Working’

Kenya is perhaps one of the quieter domains of the global Covid-19 pandemic. However, as its hold intensifies across the country, Kenyans, from all walks of life, have found themselves not only preparing for the worst but also taking stock of the impact it has already had on their lives. 



By his own admission, Musa Esevwe, a 49-year-old sculptor and entrepreneur, had never, in his life, experienced trouble with his sleep. That is until Covid-19 arrived in his hometown, Nairobi, in mid-March.



Within the space of a week, a national curfew was announced via Presidential address. Not long after, as confirmed cases jumped to 91, a partial lockdown was imposed around the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, restricting the movement of people in to, and out of, the city.



Travel was tightly regulated and international flights temporarily suspended. The few who do manage to make it to the country, by road or sea, must endure a mandatory two-week quarantine, at the border, before they can obtain official approval to proceed to their final destination.



Meanwhile, inside Kenya’s borders, lives changed overnight. Intensive lockdown measures severely hampered trading for both informal vendors and businesses, causing upheaval in some areas. In April, small business owners clashed with police over the forced closure of their establishments, in Nyeri, a busy provincial hub in Central Kenya.



Schools have been shut since March and, while official numbers are yet to be published, thousands have lost their jobs and livelihoods. Those, still fortunate to be in employment, have had to transform their homes into offices.



“It is like a very bad dream that we are living in now. The happiness and security we once had has gone&#8230; we are no longer dreaming, even for those who can still sleep,” says Esevwe whose own business, which was heavily dependent on the disposable income of the middle class and occasional tourists, has been destroyed by the pandemic.



Along with Esevwe, among the hardest hit are the nation’s families, who, for months now, have been confined to their houses.



The lockdown period has been particularly difficult for Kamweti wa Mutu, an international development professional and amateur nature photographer, living in Nairobi. Currently out of work, and with his wife, now the family’s sole breadwinner, stationed in Tanzania, he’s had to play multiple roles to keep his household afloat.



“The quarantine order [on March 13] was sudden, but commendably prompt, meaning it was a somewhat tough transition getting our two children; Charlie, 11, and Adia, 8, settled into home-schooling routines. After a week, we [had to] put our house-help on leave, with some pay, so as not to place [any] undue risk on either her or us,” he says.



Prior to the pandemic, Mutu was actively looking for work. However, the economic turmoil set off by the virus is now a cause for concern.



“I have struggled to find full-time employment for a while [now] but my family has been very supportive with understanding and prayers. The kids have a good grasp of this, in light of the pandemic, but it’s not [yet] getting them anxious. As a household currently on one income, this aspect is a grave one. Most worrisome is my wife losing her post [because of the pandemic], or worse, one of our family members falling ill,” he continues.



Perhaps the most traumatic impact of Covid-19 on the family is their separation. With travel into Kenya currently restricted, Mutu’s wife won’t be able to return until her consultancy with an environmental organization in Tanzania concludes.



When she does, it will probably have to be by road as international flights are suspended. After crossing the border, she’ll have to spend 14 days at a quarantine center, receiving a special permit to enter Nairobi only once she tests negative for the virus.



While this has added an extra layer of anxiety to their situation, the family is choosing to focus on the bigger picture, insists Mutu.



“We have talked a bit about this, and what it would mean for a normal life, even beyond the current situation. However, we have not delved deeply into worst-case scenarios other than how Covid-19 is devastating other families and societies. We have stocked up on enough essentials including non-perishable foodstuffs, water, face-masks, and power to last us a while.”



Elsewhere in the city, Sophie O, who asked that we change her name for this report, is also finding life under lockdown a challenge. The 30-year-old Marketing Manager works for a major multinational in Nairobi and is doing her best to adapt to the ‘new normal’ of being based from home.



“It&#8217;s been quite difficult especially because I have three children; a nine-month old, a two-year-old and a six-year-old. It’s been hard for the two-year-old to understand that I am ‘at work’, he keeps barging into [work] calls and expecting us to play. Now, I have to keep my camera off during conference calls although ideally, as a standard, it would have to be on,” she says.



With schools now closed, and most students across the country taking classes virtually, many parents, especially those with younger children, are burdened with the added responsibility of home-schooling. In this, Ms O admits that she is struggling.



“Personally, I’ve really done my best just keeping track with all the lessons they have to do. I think probably if I didn’t have to be ‘at work’, I could have done a better job in terms of being there for my daughter but it’s quite a challenge. You have to work because work pays the bills and work also pays the school fees,” she says.



Factors, firmly out of her control, are also impacting her productivity.



“The practicalities of working from home, like having a workstation, I have had to figure out. But with the internet&#8230; some days it’s good, some days it’s bad, and some days you have a blackout and there’s nothing you can do!” she laments.



The experience of both these families hints at the wider setbacks being faced by businesses and the Kenyan economy, as a whole. From Nairobi, Edwin Macharia, Global Managing Partner at multinational advisory firm, Dalberg Advisors, has been leading a fortnightly webinar series advising African leaders and policymakers on how best to respond to the ongoing crisis. He insists that they must appreciate the severity of the pandemic’s impact and act accordingly.



“Our job [on the webinar] is to make sure that [leaders] are sufficiently shaken and begin acting appropriately. China bought the world a couple of weeks to prepare and get ‘ahead of the curve’ in terms of intervention but, unfortunately, that jolt wasn’t hard enough in some places. This is very quickly moving from being a health concern to actually being an economic concern,” Macharia warned attendees in early April.



At the time, despite relatively low levels of confirmed cases, African economies were already feeling the pinch with stock markets plummeting and currencies devalued. A few weeks later, as the threat escalated, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) declared that a funding gap of $100 billion needed to be filled in order for governments to battle the pandemic, and its consequences, across the continent.



“The long-term economic effects will become more apparent in the coming months. Inputs not available locally will be inaccessible due to tighter border controls, while markets, for producers serving several industries, will be diminished, leaving many households without a sustainable income,” predicts Macharia.



If they are to have any hope of success, Macharia emphasizes that responses to Covid-19 in Africa will have to be a collaborative effort.



<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="890" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Edwin-Macharia-Global-Managing-Partner-at-Dalberg-Advisors-1024x890.jpg" alt="" data-id="46114" data-full-url="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Edwin-Macharia-Global-Managing-Partner-at-Dalberg-Advisors-scaled.jpg" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=46114" class="wp-image-46114" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Edwin-Macharia-Global-Managing-Partner-at-Dalberg-Advisors-1024x890.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Edwin-Macharia-Global-Managing-Partner-at-Dalberg-Advisors-scaled-300x261.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Edwin-Macharia-Global-Managing-Partner-at-Dalberg-Advisors-scaled-600x522.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Edwin-Macharia-Global-Managing-Partner-at-Dalberg-Advisors-768x668.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Edwin-Macharia-Global-Managing-Partner-at-Dalberg-Advisors-1536x1335.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Edwin-Macharia-Global-Managing-Partner-at-Dalberg-Advisors-2048x1781.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-item__caption">Edwin Macharia, Global Managing Partner at Dalberg Advisors</figcaption></figure></li></ul></figure>



“Flattening the curve demands that governments, institutions, and business leaders are intentional in how they implement their response strategies. Organizations will need to go beyond [their] usual business continuity planning while the public sector needs to re-model institutions in order to slow down the current trajectory of infections while ensuring long-term resilience.”



An example of these wider response strategies are already at work in a number of Kenyan hospitals. Dr Michael Mwachiro, Secretary-General at the Surgical Society of Kenya, is currently stationed at Tenwek Hospital, a faith-based teaching and referral hospital in Bomet County, 230 kilometers west of Nairobi. On May 13, the county recorded its first Covid-19 fatality, at Longisa Hospital, the only public referral hospital in the area.



<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="335" height="502" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/thumbnail_PHOTO-2020-06-16-13-12-13.jpg" alt="" data-id="46121" data-full-url="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/thumbnail_PHOTO-2020-06-16-13-12-13.jpg" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/life/2020/06/15/covid-19-in-kenya-we-are-no-longer-dreaming/attachment/thumbnail_photo-2020-06-16-13-12-13/" class="wp-image-46121" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/thumbnail_PHOTO-2020-06-16-13-12-13.jpg 335w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/thumbnail_PHOTO-2020-06-16-13-12-13-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/thumbnail_PHOTO-2020-06-16-13-12-13-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px" /><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-item__caption">Dr Michael Mwachiro, Secretary-General at the Surgical Society of Kenya</figcaption></figure></li></ul></figure>



“We’re now seeing more community-transferred cases in Kenya. I think the advantage that we may have had [compared to] other parts of the world is that we were watching as things were unfolding and, because of that, we had a bit more time to prepare [as a country], and put some measures in place. But if you read the news, or listen to the radio, you’ll hear people complaining that we should have intervened earlier but that’s a difficult thing [to do] if you look at how many stakeholders are involved along with the nature of our economy and public health system,” he says.



Part of these preparations, Mwachiro says, included immediately training the country’s health workers on Covid-19 procedures along with introducing measures preventing the movement of people from hotspots in major cities into rural Kenya, where a bulk of the population lives.



“Nairobi and Mombasa already have containment measures in place. The bigger concern is that, if Covid-19 moves out of the cities to other parts of the country, the effects would be much scarier. These [rural] areas are where the older people are, who are much more vulnerable.”



In addition to the supplementary training for medical personnel, some elective procedures and non-essential surgeries have been put on hold so that all available resources can be committed to fighting the virus at hospitals. However, besides preparedness, maintaining the morale of doctors and nurses will continue to be an ongoing concern throughout the crisis.



“We’ll have to deal with the levels of anxiety and motivation experienced by healthcare workers and first responders taking care of these patients. Doctors and nurses are human, too, and they are experiencing the same emotions as everyone else. You can imagine that, in as much as [their] families are worried about them, they, too, are also worried about their families, and themselves, as well,” he says.



Some medical professionals responding to the crisis, in parts of the country, have had to make the difficult decision to live apart from their families as they work to contain the virus. But the taxing nature of their work, coupled with extended periods of isolation, means that counseling and support services will need to be made available to them as the cases continue to rise.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">&#8220;We’ll have to deal with the levels of anxiety and motivation experienced by healthcare workers and first responders taking care of these patients. Doctors and nurses are human, too, and they are experiencing the same emotions as everyone else. You can imagine that, in as much as [their] families are worried about them, they, too, are also worried about their families, and themselves, as well.&#8221;</blockquote>



As it stands, Kenya, like most of the continent, has not been as badly hit when compared to epicenters in Europe or North America. However, this may be due to the fact that the worst is still on its way. In May, the World Health Organization estimated that up to 190,000 Africans may be killed by the pandemic, at its peak.



With Covid-19 due to exert immense pressure on our public health systems, it does offer some important lessons for the future, explains Mwachiro.



“What this outbreak has brought about, for us in Africa, is [the fact] that we need to invest more in our healthcare systems. This has been said so many times&#8230; there have even been a number of strikes [in Kenya] by various stakeholders, all of them trying to highlight these issues. This is a good wake up call. I honestly believe that, if we had spent more on health [before the crisis], it would have gone a long way in helping us to be better prepared. Hopefully, once this [pandemic] resolves, we can keep the momentum going and we can continue looking inwardly for solutions.”



Naturally, Covid-19, with its grim predictions and disruption of lives, has many Kenyans worried about the future. Nevertheless, the challenges of the moment are being met in stride. Families have quickly adjusted to new ways of living while their leaders seek sage advice on how best to address the crisis, and doctors continue to make sacrifices, day in and day out, as they brace for the worst.



Perhaps, most important of all is that, in the pandemic’s wake, hope has become an obstinate presence in all quarters of Kenyan society.



– Marie Shabaya

Kamweti wa Mutu with his two children; Charlie, 11, and Adia, 8, with their Golden Retriever, Nalia, pictured at their home in Nairobi

Covid-19 In Kenya: ‘We Are No Longer Dreaming’

<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/UN-Avenue-1024x460.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45196" width="902" height="404" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/UN-Avenue-1024x460.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/UN-Avenue-300x135.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/UN-Avenue-600x270.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/UN-Avenue-768x345.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/UN-Avenue.jpg 1179w" sizes="(max-width: 902px) 100vw, 902px" /><figcaption>UN Kenya/Newton Kanhema The usually busy UN Avenue in Nairobi, Kenya where traffic is bumper to bumper on the best of days, is almost empty as people stay at home to avoid spreading the coronavirus. March 2020</figcaption></figure></div>



We live in a different world to the one we inhabited six short months ago.



With more than 4 million people infected and over 290,000 dead globally by mid May 2020, Covid-19 has ruthlessly exposed the vulnerability of a globalised world to pandemic disease. People are slowly coming to terms with the frightening and heartbreaking death toll, and we are still not out of danger.



The Greek philosopher Herophilus said, “When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless and intelligence cannot be applied.”&nbsp;



The bio-threat has already upended our notions of community interaction, with face masks, latex gloves and physical distancing becoming the new normal. Science has been challenged and experts in various fields struggle to understand the short and long-term consequences of the pandemic.



Lack of robust global public health systems has proven to be a chink in the world’s armour. It has also revealed a truth that we ignore at our peril: healthcare systems around the world have been sorely tested in managing this outbreak, and without substantial reprioritisation of investment in health and research globally, we will be no better equipped when the next pandemic strikes.



Describing&nbsp;<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1063022">COVID 19 as a threat multiplier</a>, the UN Deputy Secretary General, Ms Amina Mohammed said, “We have a health emergency, a humanitarian emergency and now a development emergency. These emergencies are compounding existing inequalities”.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AJM.Tedros-1024x461.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45200" width="672" height="302" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AJM.Tedros-1024x461.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AJM.Tedros-300x135.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AJM.Tedros-600x270.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AJM.Tedros-768x346.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AJM.Tedros.jpg 1178w" sizes="(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px" /><figcaption>UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Leading UN reforms &amp; ensuring the UN is fit for purpose in the countries they serve, the Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed (centre), at the first-ever high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (left), Director- General of World Health Organization (WHO) and María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés(right), President of the 73rd&nbsp;Session of the UN General Assembly. September 2018, New York, USA</figcaption></figure>



While no country has been spared, the impact upon families and individuals has varied around the world, exposing huge global and local inequalities.&nbsp;



The consequences of high uninsured rates and high out-of-pocket health costs are being revealed. Even before the Covid-19 outbreak,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/health_financing/topics/financial-protection/key-policy-messages/en/">more than 100 million people per year risked being plunged into poverty by a ‘shock’</a>&nbsp;in terms of unanticipated expenditure on medical treatment.



World Food Programme analysis shows that, due to the Coronavirus, an additional 265 million people are marching towards the brink of starvation by the year end because of the virus’s effects on jobs and family finances.



The social and economic upheaval we face today has changed the world and will go on changing it for many years. Behind the headlines of an economic decline that might rival the&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.imf.org/2020/04/14/the-great-lockdown-worst-economic-downturn-since-the-great-depression/">Great Depression of the 1930s</a>&nbsp;are families separated by closed international borders, some mourning relatives they never managed to see and comfort and millions who no longer have jobs.



What must we do to prevent the next pandemic striking the world.



Like rain that exposes a leaking roof, the coronavirus crisis has revealed unanticipated problems inherent in our dependence on global supply chains and amplified longstanding structural deficiencies in health systems around the world. We can see now that under-investment in public health in one country is a threat to global health security everywhere. Responses to health emergencies cannot succeed if any part of the world is left behind.&nbsp;



The central importance of universal health coverage and&nbsp;ensuring healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages, as manifested in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/sdg/targets/en/">Sustainable Development Goal 3</a>,(SDG3) by 2030, is clear.



With Africa&#8217;s population expected to grow to 2.3 billion by 2050, for Africa to reap a <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20170810142204-j0nwd/">demographic dividend,</a> as well as prevent disease outbreaks, Governments should:



<ol type="1"><li>Reassess policy priorities and direct greater funding to health.</li><li>Invest more in disease prevention.</li><li>Improve working conditions for medical staff.</li><li>Offer fit-for-purpose health insurance to their people.</li><li>Harness big data, technology, and innovation to <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20180209112650-s1njv/">leapfrog universal health coverage.</a></li><li>Forge public private partnerships to <a href="http://daghammarskjold.se/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/UNDG-CountryStudy-Kenya.pdf">address the gaps to attain SDG 3.</a></li><li>Create an army of community health workers.&nbsp;</li></ol>



The WHO Chief, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a public health champion, who as Minster of Health in Ethiopia, a country once notorious for the highest maternal and child mortality in Africa, ensured the country achieved the health related&nbsp;<a href="https://www.afro.who.int/news/making-ethiopian-people-healthier-through-mdgs">Millennium Development Goals</a>,&nbsp;by unleashing the full potential of community health workers. He said that, “By fully harnessing the potential of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/hrh/community/guideline-health-support-optimize-hw-programmes/en/">community health workers</a>, including by dramatically improving their working and living conditions, we can make progress together towards universal health coverage and achieving the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.”



Doctors, nurses, carers and paramedics around the world are facing unprecedented workload in overstretched health facilities. The heroism, dedication and selflessness of medical staff allow the rest of us a degree of reassurance. In fact health workers are the frontline soldiers battling the pandemic.&nbsp;They deserve the same recognition and respect as women and men from the Armed Forces who are sent into battle in service of their country.



Additionally, the creation of robust health surveillance infrastructure in low-income countries will benefit the whole world in terms of early warning of disease outbreaks, and the ability to focus resources where and when they are needed.



To achieve this,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/coronavirus/2020/04/17/multilateralism-through-public-private-partnerships-are-key-to-flattening-the-covid-19-curve/">new models of multilateral and public private partnerships&nbsp;must develop</a>, as well reform, invest and give greater power to the&nbsp;World Health Organisation to protect the world from disease.



As citizens of the world we depend on one another. We are linked by trade and migration and the fact of our humanity as much as we are sometimes divided by politics and faith.



Consider this. Maria Branyas is a 113 year old <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/spains-oldest-woman-113-year-old-maria-branyas-beats-coronavirus-sbjtjc6z3">COVID 19 survivor from Spain.</a> It means she has lived through the flu pandemic of 1918-19, the two World Wars, the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War and now the coronavirus. When asked what was the secret of her long life, she said, “good health”.



In a post-Covid-19 world, global health must be seen as a key component of national and global security as well as of the global economy.



SDG 3 must become pivotal in our post COVID 19 response or we may be sitting ducks,&nbsp;when another pandemic&nbsp;strikes, whose velocity and virulence could surpass what we are witnessing now.



Siddharth Chatterjee is the United Nations resident coordinator to Kenya. He has served in various parts of the world with UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNOPS, UN Peacekeeping and the Red Cross Movement. A decorated Special Forces veteran, he is an alumnus of Princeton University. Follow him on twitter-<a href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@sidchat1</a>



The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.​​​​​

WITHOUT UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE WE ARE SITTING DUCKS WHEN THE NEXT PANDEMIC STRIKES

Equity Group Foundation, with support from Equity Bank, Mastercard Foundation, and the family of Dr James Mwangi, commit Ksh1.1 billion to support Kenya’s immediate needs to protect frontline medical staff.



Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of the coronavirus pandemic has been the concerted effort between corporates and individuals to forge partnerships and collaborations driven by a common purpose.&nbsp;



The Equity Group Foundation (EGF) and Mastercard Foundation are the latest in the line of big names pledging their robust support to help beat the pandemic in Africa.



They have just announced a commitment of Ksh1.1 billion to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to frontline medical staff dealing with Covid-19 patients in public hospitals in Kenya.



Equity Bank (with Ksh300million), and the Mastercard Foundation (with Ksh500million), a long-time partner of EGF, are providing support as part of their Mastercard Foundation Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Program.



The funding also includes a donation of Ksh300million from the family of Dr. James Mwangi, the Founding Chairman of EGF and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Equity Group Holdings Plc. EGF will work in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund in this endeavor.



Mwangi, also FORBES AFRICA’s Person of the Year&nbsp;in 2012, says about the initiative: “It started when my attention was drawn to a group of students and doctors who were raising funds for PPEs for young post-graduate students, especially in Kenyatta National and Referral Hospital (KNH).”



A member of Kenya’s Covid-19 Emergency Fund Board, he adds: “We invited the CEO of the Kenya Medical Association and a group of doctors from KNH and University of Nairobi where we established the need for PPEs for medical staff handling Covid-19 patients in the country. A team of seven was formed to help structure this initiative.”



This initiative will be to ensure availability of PPEs across the country as also scale up a mental wellness support system for medical staff.



Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation says: “Healthcare workers are at the frontlines of caring for all of us, safeguarding community health. We must keep them safe. We are grateful this partnership meets the immediate needs precipitated by Covid-19, which the Foundation is prioritizing through our Mastercard Foundation Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Program.” “We will endeavor to continue with our engagement and mobilization of our partners to extend our partnership towards procurement of diagnostic kits. We believe there is a chance for every Kenyan to get the support they require to overcome the Covid-19 infection,” concludes Mwangi.

Tag: Kenya

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