Editor's Review

  • The country has already placed an order for the vaccines.
  • About 30% of the population will be covered by the first half of 2021.

 The government will issue the coronavirus vaccine at no charge, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has announced.

While announcing on Wednesday, Kagwe stated that the government is working on a mechanism to ensure the vaccine is readily available once it arrives. 

Kagwe announced in an interview the vaccine will be incorporated into the country's national immunization program that is offered for free to all citizens.

By Thursday, officials from the Ministry of Health had submitted an application to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) for permission to introduce the Covid-19 jab into the country.

The free vaccines are expected to cover 20 percent of the country's population with Kenya ordering 24 million doses from the Gavi Covax Facility.

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The government has also allocated Ksh10 Billion to procure more vaccines to cater for an additional 10 percent of the population during the first half of 2021.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines which are also administered in two doses will cost Ksh 4,335 per patient with one dose costing Ksh 2,175.

Health acting Direct General Patrick Amoth recently revealed that the government has settled on a hybrid system of using two types of Covid-19 vaccines.

"We are currently looking at various vaccines with different costs. Although we have not yet decided on the exact one, we are likely to use a hybrid," Amoth told Nation.

This comes after the Kagwe announced that teachers, health workers, and police officers will be among the first group of Kenyans to get the Covid-19 vaccine.