EDITORIAL: Kudos firms aiding poor

That Kenyan private firms have started taking measures in public interest aimed at helping the less fortunate to overcome the shocks caused by the global coronavirus pandemic is a demonstration that business leaders have what it takes to ameliorate the adverse effects of the virus.

Important as profits are for businesses, there are times when they must step up and act in the interest of society for the long-term good of everyone, even when they have to dig deeper into their pockets in the short term.

As such, companies that have offered to buy and distribute sanitisers in slums and water-stressed areas, those that have offered free and subsidised services to their customers and those who have reached out to vulnerable groups should serve as an example to those that are yet to take a step in this direction.

These are trying and testing times and the mettle of Kenyan companies will be tested before the situation improves.

The public will be more likely to remember the brands that stood with them during the challenges and these will reap long-term benefits. So in the end, it is in the interest of corporates to step up to the plate and do something for humanity as part of the response to the virus.