Lawyers Ahmednasir Abdullahi and Donald Kipkorir (DBK) have shared on social media photos while receiving the Sputnik V jab at what looks like a health facility in Nairobi.

This comes as different health and government agencies have been issuing contradicting information on the approval of the Russian vaccine for emergency use in Kenya.

Ahmednasir was the first to get the vaccine in Kenya followed by DBK and they told their followers that they had been vaccinated for Covid-19 amid a fresh surge in new infections.

“First Kenyan to take the Sputnik V in KENYA,” posted Ahmednasir on Tuesday.

Kipkorir then posted, “Today, I became the Second Kenya to take the Russia COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine ... I have full confidence in the vaccine to protect me from all COVID-19 variants.”

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On Tuesday, acting Health Director General Patrick Amoth told the National Assembly Health Committee the vaccine is yet to be approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Dr Amoth said WHO was yet to pre-qualify the vaccine, meaning it might take a while for it to be okayed for emergency use in Kenya as it was yet to meet the required standards.

“Any pre-qualified vaccine approval takes less than a week for emergency authorization use, it takes a longer time for a vaccine that is not pre-qualified by the WHO, since there are set out steps that have to be followed for such an approval,” he told MPs.

The Health DG, however, admitted that it was possible for a vaccine to be used minus the WHO approval as long as it had passed all other stringent tests and measures set out.

However, the Russian Embassy in Kenya, in a statement dated March 29, said no deal had been struck between Russia and Kenya allowing the importation and use of the vaccine.

The embassy said Sputnik V had been imported locally by a private company and urged the importers to follow due procedure outlined by the government and the Ministry of Health.

This also comes days after the Pharmacy and Poisons Board allowed granted a private pharmacy in Kenya Emergency Use Approval of the vaccine with a 92 per cent efficacy.