The COVID-19 Pandemic and Racialised Risk Narratives in Kenya

Abstract

This report examines the language used by government, media and social media to communicate risk and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya. It unpacks several themes, some of them captured in the poem. Collectively, the themes contribute to the central theme of the report; the racialisation of the pandemic in Kenya. These themes include the situation before recording the first infection, the origins of the disease; perceived Black immunity and resistance; government response to the outbreak; anti-Chinese sentiments; and debates on the cure and vaccine of the disease.