Letter to President Uhuru: Set up a covid-19 research fund to find cure

Coronavirus will not cure itself. What we are doing now is managing the spread and this can go on forever. Therefore, finding a cure, a vaccine, or drug combination that stops it is critical.

In line with my challenge to our academics and researchers, I urge that as a country, we set a special budget for Covid-19 research so that our scientists can concentrate in the laboratories to come up with solutions.

As a starting point, I humbly request President Uhuru to allocate a start-up budget- monies for Covid-19 cure research and to set up a special team of top multi-sectoral scientists and other relevant persons to lead the research.

Each county can also motivate its scientists and galvanize a mindset of research towards solving the coronavirus quagmire.

Let us utilize the brains we have - and start with those ones already doing something with the little they have because they have the winning attitude.

We are capable.

Someone once said that “your legs will only take you as far as your brain can go.”

We need to think beyond social distancing and washing hands, even though they are vital. We have to think and work towards a permanent solution while preventing and slowing down the spread of the virus.

That I believe, is the smart and proper thing for us humanity to do.

Dr. Alfred N. Mutua is Machakos Governor.