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No money to pay for Covid-19 vaccines: Sh4.5B blunder in Kenya's budget

Miriam Mwende

March 6, 2021 8:35 AM

Sh4.5 billion blunder

A sample of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (Reuters)

Emerging details indicate that the second phase of Covid-19 vaccinations in Kenya may be in jeopardy.

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The Parliamentary Budget and Appropriation committee on Friday revealed that the Sh4.5 billion allocation for the purchase of the vaccines was missing in the 2021 Budget Policy Statement.

The parliamentary Health Committee, however, blamed the National Treasury for the missing allocation.

"That there is no mention in the BPS 2021 regarding the acquisition and availability of vaccines for Covid-19 and whether it is one of the government priorities in the 2021/22 and over the medium term as part of Covid-19 interventions. Further, no resources have been provided for the acquisition of vaccines" a report from the health committee read in part.

The Sh4.5 billion is required to secure 36 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine before June 2022.

The Budget Committee also pointed out a missing Sh4 billion allocation for HIV drugs.