President Uhuru, First Lady Margaret get COVID-19 vaccine

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 26 – President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday received the COVID-19 vaccine injection alongside First lady Margaret Kenyatta at State house Nairobi, shortly after addressing the nation and introducing a new raft of measures to contain the spread of the virus.

In the full glare of cameras, the President received the jab, while reiterating that it is one of the ways for Kenyans to safeguard themselves against the virus.

Earlier Friday, the president directed that all cabinet secretaries and those working in the Executive to be vaccinated and, “lead by example.”

This is the latest attempt by the government to scale up the roll out exercise of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Other key national figures that received the COVID -19 vaccine injection alongside the President included Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i , Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Ambassador Raychelle Omamo and Acting Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.

Others included members of the Judicial Service Commission, Governors and members of the inter-religious council of Kenya who held a meeting with the president early Friday afternoon.

President also held a meeting with the COVID-19 task-force.

The President said the new measures that includes a cessation of movement in five counties are important to curb the growing numbers of fatalities, as well as infections.

The five counties are Kajiado, Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos and Nakuru, where infection rate is extremely high and accounts for 70 percent of all the new cases of infections.

“In less than 12 days, our admission in hospitals has increased by 52 percent. The positivity rate is the highest since the pandemic began and the stress on our health care is unparalleled, ” the President said.

Though the president has consistently said that the vaccine is not mandatory, he has encouraged Kenyans to get vaccinated, as a preventive measure.

The government had earlier on prioritized the issuance of the vaccine to frontline workers and other priority groups such as law enforcement officers and even teachers.

The Ministry of Health meanwhile revised its priority list of those to be vaccinated to include persons aged 58 years and above.