UK donates 817,000 Covid-19 vaccines to Kenya

Boris Johnson, Uhuru Kenyatta

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta outside 10 Downing Street in central London on January 21, 2020.

Photo credit: Tolga Akmen | AFP

The UK has announced that it will donate 817,000 Covid-19 vaccines to boost Kenya’s vaccination efforts.

The announcement was made as President Uhuru Kenyatta tours the country and met Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 

"The two leaders will toast the huge strides made in the last 18 months on the Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership, just as the UK reinforced its support on Covid-19 with the vaccine donation. The Oxford-AstraZeneca doses – half through a direct bilateral donation, and half through a UK donation to the Covax facility – will be shipped from the UK to Kenya as soon as possible in the coming days," a statement from the British High Commission said.

The trip, the first President Kenyatta is making to the UK in 18 months, comes days after London retained Kenya on England’s “Red List” amid concerns about the spread of new Covid-19 variants.

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