The government has come under sharp criticism for offering free COVID-19 vaccines to thousands of foreign diplomats based in Kenya, including United Nations employees.
Local medics are questioning why the government has prioritized expatriates even though it has not completed vaccinating its own healthcare workers, other frontline workers, and the elderly.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Ministry wrote to all diplomatic missions on March 18th making the offer for the vaccines, Reuters reported.
While defending the decision, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Amb. Macharia Kamau said the jabs being offered to foreign diplomats were supplied through the COVAX vaccine access scheme.
“We need to protect everyone resident in Kenya. It just made sense not to reach out only to Kenyans but also to the international community here,” Kamau said.
He clarified that Kenyans in priority categories are still being inoculated, adding that Kenya is home to a large diplomatic community and the government has a responsibility of ensuring they are safe. He said there are about 25,000 to 30,000 diplomats, UN staff, and family members residing in Nairobi.
“We are the only United Nations capital headquarters in the global South. Once you have this kind of honor, it comes with a certain responsibility,” he added.
Nairobi hosts the UN headquarters in Africa.
In the letter to diplomatic missions, the government said vaccinations would begin on March 23rd and only accredited diplomats and their families are eligible.
“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, the CEO of Kenya Medical Association (KMA).
The head of Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Chibanzi Mwachonda said “Kenyans must be given priority.”
Kenya has so far received 1.25 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine via COVAX and another 100,000 shots from the Indian government.
“Why does the Kenyan government prioritize ex-pats–who have money and can get the vaccines through their own channels–over its own population, especially the poor?” a diplomat whose embassy received the jabs offer said.
Them Kagwes and co. have…
Them Kagwes and co. have received their jabs . Now they want to prioritize foreigners whose countries have donated the vaccines to us because we have stolen tax money and cannot afford to buy . foreign countries know how to take care of their own . i can call this brainless, stupidity luck of sense of reasoning . no consideration for ordinary Kenyans whose money they eat . No this is disheartening and Kagwe has done a very solid campaign for those who will vote for him or was he not going for Nyeri governor seat 2022 . Kagwe you will meet Nyerians on the faithful day note that very well