President Uhuru Kenyatta was the first Kenyan to ride on the Standard Gauge Railway, register for Huduma Namba and even receive the new-look currency, but he’s missing on the Covid-19 vaccine front line.
His decision not to be the first to take the shot is among the reasons being cited for the apathy towards the vaccination campaign, which has recorded a paltry 20,000 takers since rollout two weeks ago.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa and United States leader Joe Biden have taken the jab, instilling confidence in their citizens about the safety and efficacy of the vaccination.
“We met as Cabinet and made it clear that the first persons to be administered with this vaccine shall be our frontline health workers. That is category number one,” President Kenyatta said while launching the AstraZeneca vaccination drive on March 4, offering the first hint that he would not be on the priority list of those taking the jab.
“They (health workers) will be followed by our category number two, who will be our security forces. Due to the nature of their work, they are equally frontline workers.”
With that, the President and his Cabinet have kept off the vaccination campaigns.
The targeted frontline workers appear to have taken the cue as well, with their apathy contributing to the low uptake.
With advanced nations like Germany, France, Norway and Spain halting AstraZeneca jabs due to safety concerns, analysts say only acceptance by the top leadership could assure ordinary Kenyans of its safety and efficacy against the deadly coronavirus.
Last week, religious leaders asked President Kenyatta and his Cabinet to get a dose of the vaccine in public as a safety assurance to Kenyans.
Kenya Council of Churches Alliance and Ministries (KCCAM) chairman Kepher Omae said political goodwill is needed to help the public shed doubts about the vaccine.
“A father can’t send his children to be immunised, yet he himself hasn’t been vaccinated. We’d like President Kenyatta and his Cabinet to receive a dose of the vaccine to assure the public that it’s safe,” KCCAM deputy chairman Stephen Mutiua said.
Kenya Medical Association (KMA) President Were Onyino attributed the hesitancy among health care professionals to “a lack of adequate stakeholder involvement and public education on the importance and safety of the vaccine and its rollout”.
As of yesterday evening, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi and Acting Health Director-General Patrick Amoth were among the few top government officials to receive the vaccine, by virtue of their being medical doctors.
Even the country’s top frontline health worker – Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe – is yet to get the vaccine.
“I will not take the vaccine until it gets to my turn on the priority list. If I take it before, I will be accused of jumping the queue. If I do not take it, I will be accused of not leading by example,” Mr Kagwe said recently.
“So, I am not sure which is which. That is why I have chosen to await my turn. The worst thing that could happen is if a nurse got Covid-19, because I have taken the vaccine meant for her.”
His sentiments and the apathy among the political leadership, is a stark contrast from other government initiatives, where they are always front on the queue.
Mr Kagame was the first head to receive the vaccine in East Africa, where immunisation campaigns have not yet picked speed.
Photos of the 63-year-old and his wife receiving the vaccine at a hospital in the capital, Kigali, were posted on the official Twitter account of the Rwandan leader.
The country also set a high standard in the region, managing to vaccinate 230,000 citizens within a week of receiving its first doses.
In the same period, Kenya managed a paltry 8,700 sots, out of the 1.02 million doses it received. By yesterday, the number had gone up to 20,000.
In South Africa, President Ramaphosa and Health minister Zweli Mkhize received the shot last week, in a bid to show the country that the vaccine was safe.
The country had administered more than 100,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine by the end of February.
“Taking the vaccine was quick, easy and not so painful. I urge our healthcare workers to register to receive their vaccination as they are our first line of defence against the coronavirus pandemic,” Mr Ramaphosa said.
For Kenya, the public concern on the safety of the vaccines continues to grow.
During his 14th address on the pandemic on Friday, Mr Kenyatta downplayed fears on the vaccine’s safety, saying, its arrival is critical in management and control of the virus.
“Kenya is entering a critical phase in the management of the pandemic with the arrival of WHO prequalified Covid-19 vaccine. Our experts are persuaded its safety is bankable,” he said.
