Chasing the wind. A mother’s desperate hunt for life-saving vaccine for newborn across city hospitals
A mother and her newborn.
Ms Naomi Wesonga had just given birth at MP Shah Hospital on Wednesday, May 28. She was cradling her first child with a mixture of joy and overwhelming anxiety.
She was apprehensive that Baby Maxwel would not receive his first vaccine at birth.
"The neonatal nurse who has been attending to me just came over to say that they do not have any childhood vaccines to administer to my baby. Nothing, not even Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) or polio vaccine," the 26-year-old mother explained, her voice heavy with concern.
"The nurse disclosed that all babies born in this health facility for the last two weeks remain unvaccinated, which is why they told new mothers to go home and come back on Thursday to see if a BCG shipment of 20 doses they have been expecting will arrive," Naomi revealed.
"I can't imagine it has reached a point where newborn mothers in this country have to come back to health facilities and scramble for a small batch of 20 doses. It's so unfortunate."
Left with no option, she opted to move around hospitals looking for the vaccines, but many facilities did not have any in stock.
When Nation contacted MP Shah's vaccination centre, staff confirmed the shortage with the same uncertainty plaguing mothers across the country: "Would you check with us tomorrow if the BCG would have arrived?"
At Aga Khan University Hospital, Naomi's next stop, the medical staff had the same disappointing news: they too were experiencing shortages of essential childhood vaccines.
At around 6 pm, the Nation team then accompanied her to Mbagathi Hospital, where the situation was not different.
“Unfortunately, at the moment we are out of stock and waiting for replenishment,” a kind nurse at the health facility who was standing by the reception told Naomi while asking if she could leave her contact with them so that they could let her know when they have any of the life-saving doses.
"Same boat"
“We are on the same boat, it is over a month since I gave birth to my second born at this facility, my little girl is yet to get any childhood vaccines and I have just dropped by to check if they have anything so far because they took my contacts and promised to let me know when they have them but haven’t,” Peris Muthoni, a mother who was waiting at the reception and had been eavesdropping told Naomi.
Mbagathi Hospital officials declined to comment on the matter, stating that they are not authorised to speak to the media.
As we drove to Kenyatta University Teaching and Training Referral Hospital (KUTRRH), the newborn mother was frantically calling friends who kept sending her contacts of medics they knew from various parts of the country, so that she could inquire where to find the life-saving doses.
“I am so sorry, I have seen many newborn mothers in Turkana County where I work going through the same. In fact, in Turkana, BCG, Polio, and OPV ran out of stock by late January 2025, and we were told by county health officials that there’s a nationwide shortage."
At KUTRRH, officials who spoke to Naomi instructed her to visit the hospital later and check whether they will have stocked.
“At the moment we do not have child vaccines and are not sure when we will do, kindly keep checking with us,” an official who is not authorised to speak to the media said.
To confirm the shortage, the Nation reached out to KUTRRH Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Dagane for a comment via telephone call.
“I am out of the country on official duty,” the CEO said.
This was around 6:30 pm. We agreed to continue with the search the next day, Thursday morning.
At 9:00 am, the Nation accompanied Naomi to Nairobi Hospital.
“Would you kindly come back tomorrow (Friday)? We only have a small rationed polio vaccine consignment left, and we have already administered today’s portion,” the receptionist at Nairobi Hospital told Naomi.
An impossible choice
This scene is playing out in hospitals nationwide as the shortage of critical vaccines, including BCG, polio, and measles immunisations, forces mothers into an impossible choice between waiting indefinitely for vaccines that may never arrive or risking their children's health by delaying crucial immunisations during the most vulnerable period of their lives.
The country is currently experiencing a shortage of these vital and critical vaccines, which has lasted four months now, leaving the children vulnerable to preventable diseases.
The shortage is being experienced even in major private hospitals that are now prioritising only children born in their facilities. The situation is expected to persist until July as Ministry of Health officials confirm that it will take another eight weeks for the first consignment to arrive in the country.
PS Oluga: We're working on it
Ministry of Health, Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga confirmed that there is a nationwide shortage of both traditional and new vaccines, adding that funds for vaccines were released late by the National Treasury.
“The nationwide shortage is a problem we have found, and we are working on it,” Dr Oluga said.
He adds: “On Wednesday this week I signed off Sh1 billion payment to Unicef so that they supply us with lifesaving vaccines,” the PS disclosed to Nation while further noting that Treasury has also made available another Sh930 million they will use to stock up.
“We have now solved the financial part of the problem, and now we move to the supply chain aspect of the problem, and as you may know, it will take at least eight weeks for us to get the first consignment of vaccines,” Dr Oluga said.
"We expect 160,000 vials (3.2 million doses) of BCG vaccines...estimated arrival in the country is June 15, 2025," he said, adding that there will be a "catch-up campaign" after the drugs arrive so that all unvaccinated children are immunised by end of July.
“I urge Kenyans to be patient with us because these are problems we found here...I can assure that it is the last time we will be in this predicament because we will properly stock up, ”PS Oluga told Nation.
