Teachers given 1 week ultimatum to get Covid-19 vaccine

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to teachers even as the government advocates for vaccination against Covid-19.

Speaking on Monday, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia expressed concern over the low uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine among teachers noting that they are among the considered frontline workers.

According to the TSC boss, only 33% of the full teachers population is fully vaccinated against the deadly respiratory disease.

Macharia noted that teachers who will not have received their first jab by the end of the seven days will face disciplinary action.

TSC boss Nancy Macharia (Courtesy) Pulse Live Kenya

She added that the heads of education in the counties will also be held responsible for the vaccination drive and will be required to give a report on how they have facilitated the process.

"We will be asking from our county directors and regional directors the number of teachers they have facilitated to get the vaccination and how many teachers are not vaccinated and for whatever reasons because MoH has assured us that there are enough vaccines," Macharia stated.

Civil Servants

A similar ultimatum was recently served on goverment workers, with the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua setting August 23, 2021 as the deadline.

According to the letter seen by Pulse Live, State House raised alarm over poor vaccination numbers among the government workers.

Mr Kinyua revealed that some civil servants have been avoiding the vaccine to avoid having to report to their offices and instead work from home.

"In a recent NSAC meeting it was reported that there was a low uptake of Covid-19 vaccines among public servants especially the security sector, teachers and the core civil service. This is against a background of access to vaccines having greatly improved especially among these groups.

"It was also observed that some public servants have deliberately avoided getting vaccinated so that they can stay away from work under the guise of working from home. This has negatively affected service delivery to the public," Kinyua's letter read in part.

Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Joseph Kinyua addresses a media briefing at Harambee House on the status of security Pulse Live Kenya

The letter went on to outline: "It has, therefore, been decided that all civil servants will be prioritized in the ongoing vaccination exercise and that those who will not have been given the 1st jab by 23rd August 2021 be treated as discipline cases and appropriate action be taken against them."