Covid-19 vaccine team finalises Kenya rollout plan

Kenya is currently putting final touches to its Covid-19 vaccine roadmap.

The 11-member vaccine advisory team says that it will officially submit its recommendations to President Uhuru Kenyatta over the weekend, after which they could be made public next week. 

The final stakeholders’ meeting is currently ongoing at the Ministry of Health (MoH) .

The task force is chaired by Dr Willis Akhwale, a senior advisor to President Kenyatta on Malaria, who has promised a solid modus operandi on deployment of vaccination within the country after deliberations that began in December last year.

"It should be ready by Monday because after this meeting, we will embark on putting everything that we have deliberated and agreed on together to come up with one solid plan which we will submit to President Kenyatta, " he told the Nation.

The MoH says it is being proactive by ensuring that as many voices are heard and considered as the team plans for rollout.

"The president and the Health cabinet secretary will be briefed once it's completed, possibly by the weekend. But those present at this meeting include the WHO, Development partners, groups such as Red cross, Amref and others. MoH team includes the PS, DG and all heads of directorates. The Pharmacy and Poisons Board is also present, " a source at MoH told the Nation.

Last week, Dr Akwale said that the vaccine distribution plan will also stream down to the county governments.“We will engage counties, look at all the financial options and availability,” he said.

The main objective of the taskforce is to dissect issues like vaccine hesitancy, county engagement, vaccine depots, cold chain storage and logistics and immunisation records as well donor interests among other issues surrounding Kenya’s preparedness.

This comes after reports indicated that Kenya is expected to receive 11 million additional doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the African Union (AU), which has secured a deal to procure 270 million of the same for all member states.