National Response Mechanisms in the Mitigation of the Corona Virus Pandemic in the East African Region: a Comparative Analysis of Kenya and Tanzania

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak has revealed both systemic fractures in East Africa and the potential to solve them through better regional coordination. By contrasting Kenya and Tanzania, the study evaluated the effectiveness of national response systems in slowing the spread of COVID 19 in the East African region. Researchers are now able to assess the effectiveness of Kenya's and Tanzania's efforts to contain the pandemic. The three main objectives of the study were to identify and evaluate regional response and containment strategies for the COVID 19 pandemic in the East African Community (EAC), and identify and evaluate national response mechanisms used by Tanzania and Kenya to control and mitigate the pandemic. The study examined how the state responded to a pandemic using the Theory of Constructivism as a guide in order to achieve these objectives. The researcher employed qualitative research for the study and adopted a pragmatic approach. She used both primary and secondary data, and wrote conclusions are written up in narrative text. The research established that, nationalistic responses impacted the region by dragging the recovery period. The measures Tanzania implemented caused mistrust and in turn destabilized integration within the region. The response from the EAC member states showed that old woes still play a significant role in interactions.