The Ministry of Health has rolled out a National Accelerated COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Wednesday from Kiambu County.

The campaign, whose slogan is “kuwa shujaa, pata chanjo tufungue nchi,” targets ten million individuals in the next three months with a mid-term plan to administer 5.8 million vaccines by October 20, 2021.

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Health CS Mutahi Kagwe thanked the global community for their continued support in supplying the vaccines.

Kagwe however complained about the imbalance in access to the vaccines especially within the continent of Africa.

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He appealed to the world community to stop vaccine partiality, as some countries are yet to vaccinate their adult population.

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“We are appealing to the world community to stop vaccine apartheid, where some countries are vaccinating even children while the rest of the world have not started vaccinating adults and yet when you look at the evidence and science in front of our eyes we do not see the necessity in intensifying children vaccines,” said Kagwe.

Kagwe also cautioned the public against spreading lies that impede the effective deployment of vaccines. He urged the media to work together with the government in disseminating accurate information.

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UNICEF Country Director Maniza Zaman reiterated Kagwe’s sentiments and urged the global community to unite and ensure equity in access to vaccines.

“International solidarity during this time is critical. It is important to work towards vaccine equity; we must balance the equation,” said Zaman.

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Zaman emphasized the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines and said they are World Health Organization (WHO) approved.

The Rockefeller Foundation pledged to continue supporting efforts to end the pandemic as it commended the continued government initiative in COVID-19 response.

The Managing Director for Rockefeller Foundation Africa region office William Asiko said the foundation will continue to work with the ministry on communication, logistics and fair distribution of the vaccines.

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“The Rockefeller foundation stands with the National and County Governments; we continue to work with the Ministry on matters around communication, logistics and equitable vaccine distribution,” said Asiko.

Kiambu Governor James Nyoro who explained the important role vaccines play in boosting immunity and urged residents to observe preventive protocols to avoid further spread of the virus also attended the event.

Members of the inter-religious council and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) attended the launching event.