Briefing Paper

An Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, Perception, and Practice about COVID-19 among the Kenyan Population

The first COVID-19 case was reported in Kenya on 13 March 2020 and as of 16 September 2020 there were 36,205 cases, 23,243 recoveries and 624 deaths translating to a case fatality rate of 1.7%. The Ministry of Health through the National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus has put in place several measures to reduce disease transmission and increase prevention efforts including: mandatory face-masking in public, promotion of hand and cough hygiene, dusk to dawn curfew, (including initial restriction of movement into and out of hot-spot counties), promotion of social and physical distancing, suspension of learning in all education institutions, and promotion of working from home modalities. This study found: Basic knowledge on COVID-19 is high, but 62% respondents want more information on treatment, prevention; Fear of COVID-19 and stigma are high – 71% of respondents said they would not be comfortable being in the same home, office or school with someone who has COVID-19; Most respondents are not observing COVID-19 control measures at all times – less than half of respondents reported practicing social-distancing and hand hygiene, and only half wear a face mask in public; More than half of respondents who experienced COVID-19 like symptoms either bought drugs from local pharmacy or ignored the symptoms hoping they will go away; Half of the healthcare workers who participated in the survey had neither received any COVID-19 related training nor had PPEs