President Uhuru Kenyatta. [Source/State House Kenya/Twitter]
A section of Kenyans have disapproved invitation of President Uhuru Kenyatta to a high-profile African conference on Covid-19.
Uhuru has been invited as a guest during a conference dubbed 'Towards a Post-Covid Africa' slated for December 8-9th, 2020, in Kisumu.
Other invited guests include Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Mukhisa Kituyi, African Union envoy and ODM leader Raila Odinga, Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o among other top African leaders.
The function organized by Nation Media Group (NMG) is expected to offer African decision-makers a comprehensive picture of expected long-term changes, challenges and opportunities the Covid-19 pandemic has offered to the continent and the whole globe at large.
However, some Kenyans faulted involvement of Uhuru arguing he had allegedly mishandled the pandemic in the country, and was therefore not the right person to address the conference.
"What is this post covid nonsense when we are actually in the midst of the pandemic? And what business has the Kenyan President talking about post covid world when his government's handling of the crisis has been so inept?" posed Daniel Njaga.
"Let Kenya's president handle the crisis now with the ideas he has; why cant he show us how to handle the crisis NOW?" added the ecologist consultant.
Dr Catherine Kyobutungi and Pamela Mutua said Covid-19 was a health issue and would better be discussed by professionals in medicine and public health fields.
"Politicians and a Post-Covid world? Let's normalize looking at Africa and Africans beyond politicians. They've always been Africa's weakest link but the lens thorough which the continent is viewed and defined. Surely in the post-Covid world we can do better," Kyobutungi said.
On her part, Mutua asserted: "Totally unacceptable. Keep off the Presidents, let’s have some medics professionals and women to get a more vibrant discourse here. This looks all political and not informative one bit."
Since the Coronavirus broke out in Kenya, 76,404 positive cases and 1,366 deaths have been reported.
Uhuru's government has been accused of stealing funds meant to fight the pandemic and failing to provide PPEs to health workers who quite a number of them have succumbed to the deadly virus.
Critics accuse the President of focusing more on pushing the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), his project with Raila aimed at initiating constitutional changes.