President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced the formation two committees and the three working groups to lead the government’s efforts in trying to flatten the coronavirus curve.
The first committee, the National Co-ordination Committee on the Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic (NCCRCP) will be chaired by the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and comprises 7 Cabinet secretaries, the Attorney General and the council of Governors Chairman Dr.Wycliffe Oparanya.
The committee is expected to provide a comprehensive national framework in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, co-ordinate actions undertaken by various arms of Government, State Agencies and tiers of Government with respect to the virus.
The Matiang’i-led committee is also expected to provide leadership and policy guidance on the overall response to the pandemic and also develop a comprehensive package of the legal, policy, financial, technical and logistical resources required by the country in order to respond adequately to the coronavirus; and guide effective resource allocation towards the same.
NCCRCP will also monitor, evaluate and enforce all necessary measures required to ensure the effectiveness and positive impact of the national response.
The president has also formed three working groups to help fight the pandemic.
The National Economic and Business Response Working Group will be chaired by Treasury CS Ukur Yatani to lead Kenya’s response to the macro and microeconomic impact of Covid-19, protect the livelihoods of Kenyans during the crisis as well as developing strategies to ensure swift economic rebound after the crisis.
The group will coordinate the mobilisation of the financial and logistical resources required to respond to the pandemic.
It will also conduct a Household Economic Impact Assessment, develop and implement an appropriate response to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease on poor and vulnerable households and produce reports on the Economic and Business effects of the Covid-19.
It will also partner with the Private Sector and the Non-Governmental Organizations to develop and implement appropriate response strategies to bolster employment, protect incomes and mitigate the negative economic impacts of the virus a well as developing and implement strategies to protect MSMEs during this crisis.
The second working group is the Security Preparedness and Response Working Group, which will be led by Defence CS Monica Juma in maintaining security in the country during the pandemic.
Other members are CS Macharia, PS Karanja Kibicho, Principal Administrative Secretary in the Office of President Kennedy W. Kihara, Defence PS Ibrahim M. Mohamed, PS for Correctional Services Zeinab A. Hussein.
The third group called the County Government Co-ordination and Food Supply Working Group will be led by Agriculture cabinet secretary Pete Munya.
The third group is the County Government Co-ordination and Food Supply Working Group which is under CS Munya.
The group will monitor the availability of staple foods and take necessary action to ensure that there is an adequate food supply for all Kenyans during the pandemic.
It is also expected to identify food-insecure households and map them to their localities and develop a strategy to mitigate risks and provide support to those households.
It will also support and facilitate the flow and utilisation of resources earmarked for coronavirus from the national government to counties and to support and guide the harmonisation of policies and practices across the counties in their response to the virus.