The year 2020 has been one of the most devastating time of the twenty-first century. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) paralyzed nations, causing major disruptions for businesses, educational institutions, transportation, and virtually permeated and interrupted every aspect of people’s daily lives. Millions of people transformed their homes into schools and offices while wearing face coverings became a new normal. Rising numbers of those who tested positive for the virus or died because of it often challenged people’s optimism. Hunkered down in their homes, most people sought for answers the best way they knew how. Some glued their eyes on their television sets while others surfed the internet for any credible information. Most, like me, soon suffered from information overload, bombarded by mixed messages about the virus from the very people charged with easing our panic. Some politicians actively took on the banners of naysayers against the looming dangers of the virus as they trumpeted disinformation. Some preachers put faith before science, leading their followers in harm’s way against the advice of renowned American physicians and immunologists’ warning of the threats caused by the deadly virus. Doctors and nurses offered solace to the sick and the dying, using modern technology as the only link between patients and their loved ones. Television newscasters, “truth chasers,” stole our hearts with their reporting. Many State Governors and their teams of experts gave regular updates on the dire state of affairs in their regions. Not to mention the many other essential workers who heeded the call of duty and forewent their safety to ensure our daily needs and services were met. Though we have lost many people in the wake of this devastating virus, I remain optimistic now in my writing about the efficacy of the current and upcoming vaccines. Our lives might never return to the normalcy of our pre-COVID-19 days, but if we work collectively, we should be able to see better days ahead. 

This Kenya Studies Review’s Special Issue on COVID-19 offers readers insightful articles, commentaries, opinion pieces, and poetry by Kenyan scholars, in both the diaspora and the motherland, reflecting on how this pandemic impacted their personal and professional lives. Myriad topics covered in this issue are diverse in scope, from conceptual, methodological, practical, Higher Education, to anecdotal accounts of lived experiences. It is our hope readers will be enriched from the expansive tableau of information documented here. 

–Imali J. Abala