I actually believe that the government SHOULD be providing the masks and educate people on proper use. Let me explain. There are people who are genuinely poor and would rather put food on their table than spend their ever rare earnings on masks. Due to poverty, it's very difficult if not impractical to expect social distancing (slum environment) to work very well. So handwashing and wearing masks are better alternatives in slums.
Can you think of a law that requires a citizen to go out and spend money? Supposing we criminalize failure to wear mask. Wont we be criminalizing poverty for those that cannot afford? (I can only think of one, to walk around naked
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Sir, again I disagree. In our setting, 'poverty' has been used to excuse the most utter stupidity by the citizenry, from kuchota mafuta from an overturned tanker to robbery in the slums to just about everything.
Nimesema na nitaendelea kusema; only the most vulnerable in a society like orphaned children, the severely disabled and the very old deserve charity. EVERYBODY ELSE MUST LUG THEIR OWN WEIGHT OR DIE, THAT SIMPLE.
Kenya will never ever develop if the few of us who pay taxes - and who deserve support from those taxes - continue giving freebies to people who do not seem to care about themselves in the first place. Eti we give free sanitary towels in schools, free food in times of drought (as if countries like Australia don't get droughts), free education, free masks, free healthcare, etc etc etc ad nauseum. Pesa ya kujenga barabara na kusupport SMEs itatoka wapi?
An intelligent gavament does NOT support consumption by individuals, it supports production. I would have no problem with the gavament distributing free fertilizer to farmers, or low-interest loans to small business people INSTEAD of sanitary towels - mzazi akizaa kama panya hakuwa anajua hao watoto watataka towels?
Allow me to end with the problems - entitlement and dependency - these freebies have caused. THE OTHER DAY, KENYA SENT A FEW FLOWERS TO THE UK DONATED BY THE FLOWER INDUSTRY. Ile kelele imekuwa Kenya you might think that was the greatest evil that had ever been committed. Eti why are we appreciating NHS health workers before our own.
Bro, many of those people complaining are alive because of ARVs, anti-malarials, vaccines etc etc donated - DONATED - by the same people they don't want appreciated. The US alone gives Kenya over 40B annually to buy ARVs, and Britain also chips in na unaskia nyang'au who take the same drugs wakilalamika eti tumetuma mauwa ya 5m.