• However, the recent shortage of vaccines has threatened this dignity. A shortage that has been linked to a debt the Government owes to UNICEF and GAVI. The scarcity has affected critical vaccines, among them the Oral Polio vaccine, BCG vaccine and Measles Rubella vaccine.
Kenya has taken pride in championing child health across the East African region. For over three decades now, there has been improvements in the percentage of fully vaccinated children rising from 59% in 1989 to a majestic 80% as of 2022, bringing the rates of child mortality down impressively.

However, the recent shortage of vaccines has threatened this dignity. A shortage that has been linked to a debt the Government owes to UNICEF and GAVI. The scarcity has affected critical vaccines, among them the Oral Polio vaccine, BCG vaccine and Measles Rubella vaccine.

With an anticipated short-lived stock, the country is looking at a preventable horror of increased mortality and morbidity. This circumstance could also expose children to long-term health consequences like physical and mental disabilities.

The stock shortage has printed a worrisome mark on parents’ faces as infants continue to miss their jabs, leaving their children’s immunity endangered.

The Government has addressed the issue with a vow to rush the shipment of vaccines and ensure arrival by the first week of June 2024.

The Ministry of Health mentioned exploration of alternative funding possibilities in efforts to transition from the GAVI sustenance.

“The National Vaccines and Immunization Program (NVIP) is redistributing current stocks of available routine vaccines across the country to ensure eligible children do not miss vaccinations during this critical period,” read a state confirmation by Kenya News Agency published on May 30, 2024.

State Department for Medical Services, Principal Secretary, Mr. Harry Kimtai, alluded to the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring an uninterrupted supply of vaccines with a substantial monetary allocation to top up the shortage.

“I would like to underscore the importance of maintaining an uninterrupted supply of vaccines and as a government we are taking every necessary step to address the current stock challenges. Additionally, Ksh 1.25 billion has been set aside to urgently procure routine antigens and replenish the lifesaving vaccines in our health facilities,” he stated on X on May 22, 2024.