Editor's Review

  • According to Odinga, the main lesson Kenya should learn from the Covid-19 pandemic is the fact that a different approach needs to be implemented when it comes to the health and well-being of Kenyans.

Opposition Leader Raila Odinga has released a statement detailing key lessons Kenya should learn from the Covid-19 pandemic, and policies that should be implemented to improve the health sector.

According to Odinga, the main lesson Kenya should learn from the Covid-19 pandemic is the fact that a different approach needs to be implemented when it comes to the health and well-being of Kenyans.

The ODM leader argued that currently, Kenya’s most urgent need in regards to health is on how to ensure universal access to quality, affordable and reliable healthcare: both preventive and curative.

Providing proposals on how to solve the health crisis in the country, Odinga issued a 5-point agenda which he argues can be instrumental in re-shaping Kenya’s health scene.

According to him, the country must invest in a compulsory health insurance scheme that takes care of both the employed and the unemployed, including farmers and the self-employed.

Read More

  1. Court Of Appeal Suspends Orders Blocking SHIF Implementation
  2. UDA MP Threatens To Cut Judiciary's Budget
  3. President Ruto's Appeal To The Judiciary


ODM Leader Raila Odinga receiving a Covid-19 jab. [Photo: Courtesy]

Secondly, Odinga noted that the health insurance proposed above should give the government primary responsibility to pay for the extreme poor (indigents) in rural and urban areas.

Additionally, the former Premier proposed that “the rest of the population should contribute to, and receive health coverage from the insurance scheme under the principle of “from each according to his/her ability and to each according to his/her need.” In this arrangement, we can then put the money in a kitty from which everybody gets health insurance coverage in a sustainable manner”.

He also proposed that the country should set timelines within which Kenyans should expect substantial increase in the number of medical institutions, medical staff, medical insurance scheme, clinics and hospital beds and access to a diverse choice of quality and healthy food across the country.

Lastly, Odinga said “we must recognize that our most precious resource as a nation is the people. The healthier the people, the stronger the nation and the better our ability to grow from our own efforts.”