Equity Group CEO James Mwangi. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Equity Group CEO James
Mwangi has taken a noble step by donating Sh300 million of his personal
and family wealth towards the Covid-19 pandemic kitty. The business
leader’s philanthropic gesture is a welcome shot in the arm in the fight
to contain the pandemic.
It should also serve as an
encouragement to all Kenyans of goodwill to step up and be counted in
this war. Granted, the average Kenyan may not have large amounts to
donate like Dr Mwangi, but whatever they can offer will go a long way
towards ensuring that health workers on the frontline have the proper
equipment, including personal protective equipment, ventilators and
hospital beds to deliver us the much-needed victory.
But
to get more Kenyans to buy into the initiative, there is need to ensure
that the funds are spent for the intended purposes and the accounting
for the expenditure be done transparently.
This is a
time to be frugal, to make every shilling count and to give private and
corporate citizens an incentive to contribute whatever they can to fight
the virus. Expenses such as the millions of shillings of World Bank
donations recently reported to have been misused only serve to alienate
Kenyans and increase their despondency and distrust for the public
institutions and leaders who have misdirected the money.
Though
we have called countless times for the government to take firm action
against such wanton wastage, this is a case that those responsible
should be made an example of.
With proper accountability and right spending, the country can
marshal the resources needed to flatten the curve of this pandemic and
begin to heal the economy.
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