PRESIDENT UHURU GIVES ONE CONDITION FOR CURFEW TO BE LIFTED

President Uhuru Kenyatta has appealed to Kenyans to come out in large numbers and get the Covid-19 vaccine.

He said mass vaccination will enable the government to review the pandemic restrictions, including fully opening up the economy.

“Hopefully, we will be able to meet our 10 million target of the most vulnerable, which will be a key indicator for us to now fully open up the economy and we are hoping to achieve that in the shortest time possible,” he said.

Uhuru said all vaccines will be administered free of charge to ensure as many people as possible are inoculated.

“Vaccines will be free because we want to ensure there is no element or capacity of people taking advantage of this shortfall to make deals here and there.

Vaccines will be made available to all citizens for free,” said the President in an interview with the media on Monday evening.

He said no one will be forced to take the jab but assured Kenyans that the vaccines are safe.

“I would truly encourage especially those who are in most vulnerable bracket aged 45 and above, those with comorbidities it is essential you be vaccinated, we now have enough research done that has proved that these vaccines are actually helping,” he said.

Uhuru said that the government was in the process of establishing a Covid-19 vaccine facility to ensure a steady supply of “our own” vaccines.

He said it was unfortunate that developed countries had initially practised “vaccine apartheid”.

The Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua recently announced that civil servants risk disciplinary action if they do not take the vaccine.

He accused some State officials of deliberately refusing to get vaccinated so that they can stay at home, thus affecting service delivery.

In Garissa, hundreds of government employees turned up at Garissa county commissioner’s office grounds to get the vaccine in a last minute rush to comply with Kinyua’s directive.

Garissa county commissioner Boaz Cherutich said: “We are targeting 500 civil servants in this exercise, I have been informed by respective heads of department that most employees in their offices have been vaccinated.”

In Baringo, hundreds of civil servants flocked the county referral hospital in Kabarnet to get the vaccine.

By People Daily