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Kenya’s plans to offer free Covid-19 vaccines to all diplomats based in the country, including United Nations staff, has been met with criticism by local medics after the country’s health workers have not all been inoculated.
Seen by Reuters, a letter by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to diplomatic missions was where the offer was made. Macharia Kamau, the foreign ministry principal secretary, said they need to “protect everyone resident in Kenya,” including the international community. The capital and the largest city in the country, Nairobi, hosts the U.N. headquarters in Africa and is one of four major sites worldwide where agencies like UNICEF and others have huge presences.Kamau estimates that 25,000 to 30,000 diplomats, U.N. staff and family members live in the country’s capital.Just over 28,000 health workers, teachers, and security personnel had received their first shots, the Ministry of Health said in a March 19 post on Twitter.It said in early March that it would set aside 400,000 vaccines for health staff and other essential workers. “I think the government should focus on getting the priority population vaccinated and achieving vaccine acceptancy with them before opening up to diplomats,” said Elizabeth Gitau, a Kenyan physician and the chief executive officer of the Kenya Medical Association (KMA).
The health ministry referred questions to the foreign ministry. Two Nairobi-based diplomats who declined to be identified confirmed their embassies had received the offer.“Kenyans must be given priority,” said Chibanzi Mwachonda, head of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union.The government note said vaccinations would begin on March 23, and only accredited diplomats and their families were eligible.
Kenya has so far only received two batches of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines - just over 1 million via COVAX and a 100,000 shot donation from the Indian government.
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