Ensure vaccine roll-out is fair and transparent

Yesterday’s roll-out of Covid-19 vaccination marked a turning point in the fight against the pandemic. The vaccine doses have arrived and are now accessible to the citizens. This gives hope that Covid-19, which has brought massive devastation, can be managed.

So far, the government has kept its word — medical workers got the first jabs, dispelling fears that politicians and top State officials would take advantage of the situation and jump the queue at the expense of those deserving.

But as we have argued before, the government must keep to the script; frontline workers should be prioritised and vaccine management be transparent. Experience with the management of Covid-19 funds has been horrifying, which is the reason we insist in full disclosure at every stage. The government should provide a schedule and location for the vaccination of all the workers.

We take note that when President Uhuru Kenyatta rolled out the distribution of the vaccines across the country, he categorically stated that extreme care would be taken to avoid pilferage and mismanagement of the drugs.

But that is no guarantee; unscrupulous individuals always have ways of short-circuiting the system to perpetrate their evil designs. Vigilance is paramount.

Even so, we are appalled that a section of medical practitioners have launched a campaign against the inoculation, urging citizens to reject the vaccine. The Kenya Catholic Doctors Association has got the wrong end of the stick and should keep its advisory to itself. Nobody should take them seriously.

Indeed, it is heartening that globally, Pope Francis, the Head of the Catholic Church, together with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, have been vaccinated, clearing any doubt about the faith’s position.

The government should step up the vaccination campaign while we insist on strict adherence to the Covid-19 protocols to curb infections.