Community-led Structures can play a key in managing the spread of #coronavirus in Kenya

Nyumba Kumi Initiative was introduced in the Kenya community policing cycle by the presidential order of the President of the Republic of Kenya gazetted in 2013. The Nyumba Kumi Initiative was to anchor community policing at the household level with a definite physical address to achieve a safe and sustainable neighborhood. The initiative of community policing has achieved varying levels of success in different contexts and has been mostly been applied on security grounds yet it carries immense potential in terms of application is other aspects of social life.

Nyumba Kumi initiative can play a role in terms of enforcing community-led compliance of certain behaviors that can go a long way towards achieving the desired citizen responsibility. In the wake of pandemics like COVID -19 that calls for all stakeholders to play a part in stopping the spread of the virus in the public spaces, the initiative can extend its impact if it can be utilized in other sectors too at the community levels. Having a legal mandate gives it the much-needed legitimacy and also the ease to which it can augment to the pre-existing government apparatus both at the county and national government departments.

Also, the Nyumba Kumi initiative can incorporate and coordinate with the Community Health Workers (CHWs)to support outreach and sensitization of communities around behavior and practices the communities are to adopt. This will be useful because the CHWs have over the years developed key relationships and networks at the community level and hence can monitor and support suspected cases to be tested in time and access the much-needed medical assistance in time to prevent the spread of the disease. To actualize this, the government agencies at the county and national government level will be expected to offer some rapid capacity building programs as well as develop some common Standard operating procedures (SOPs) to serve as protocols on handling COVID-19. This will be key in aligning approaches, optimal uses of the available human resources as coordinating key messages for users to engage the public towards encouraging positive behavior to protect the populations.

As counties are also putting in place coordination and response mechanisms towards containing the spread of COVID-19, the imperatives of building on pre-existing structures cannot be overlooked. This is because now more than before we need a concerted effort from all stakeholders to be able to put together a formidable front against the pandemic. Following the announcement on the curfew which kicks-off this week, it is expected the human interaction and movement will further be managed and as such slow down the transmission rates.

While the public is still being sensitized on the need and importance of practicing social isolation, it is important to note that in some sections of the #community there will be a need for a concerted effort with a collective effort which my ride on the capabilities of the Nyumba Kumi initiative to achieve the desired results. This is so primarily because some sections of the citizenry are yet to exercise their responsibility to adhere to the guidelines that have been stipulated by the government of #Kenya. This means right from the Ward level there will be a mechanism offered through the Nyumba Kumi initiative that can fit into the reporting pathway for the sub-county and county administrators right to the higher echelons.

COVID-19 pandemic provides policymakers with a unique opportunity to revisit some of the initiatives and refocus them towards solving the immediate challenges but also build resilience for the future against a wide spectrum of potential challenges. This is perhaps the good side of the bad situation that it is bringing us back to the decision-making table to rethink and refocus the way we go about life.