Ministry of Health to roll out vaccine to students set to join Kenyan universities

The Ministry of Health is set to start a campaign to vaccinate students set to join higher institutions of learning in July against Covid-19.

Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache has appealed to parents and guardians of the students who sat their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) to encourage them to take the jab before they are dispersed to different universities in the country as the ministry looks to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.

“We are keen to reach the more than 800,000 young people who completed their KCSE Examination in April 2022 and have now joined the community as they wait to get admitted to various institutions of higher learning.

“As most of them will start joining various colleges from July 2022, we appeal to all their parents and guardians to encourage the young adults to be vaccinated before they join their next level of education,” Mochache said.

Health PS Susan Mochache Pulse Live Kenya

Mochache said that only 8.4 million adults had been fully vaccinated which did not make up even half of the adult population despite the availability of the vaccine.

The Ministry has now shifted the campaign to the young population as it looks to vaccinate at least 50% of the population most of whom are aged between 15 and 17 before the year lapses.

She said the ministry will focus on secondary schools which is where most of the teenage group is.

PS Mochache also noted the rising number of Covid-19 cases which she said should worry Kenyans adding that vaccination stocks were in plenty and people should get vaccinated.

"In less than a month, we have seen the positivity rate rise from an average of 0.6 percent per day to today’s 3.6 percent, with a weekly average of 3.3 percent," said Mochache.