Relief as 9.3m children vaccines land ending crippling shortage

The arrival of the first batch of 9.3 million doses of critical childhood jabs is set to alleviate a biting shortage of the vaccines, which has put the health of hundreds of thousands of newborns in the country at risk.

Health Director-General Dr Patrick Amoth confirmed that the vaccines arrived on January 21, 2025, and have already been dispatched to nine regional depots across the country from the Central Vaccine Store (CVS) in Kitengela.

 The shipment includes 2.3 million doses of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is aimed at preventing Tuberculosis (TB) in infants, and 7 million doses of the measles-rubella vaccine. 

Dr Amoth reassured the public that the ministry has established a robust vaccine distribution system to maintain uninterrupted immunisation programmes

"We have maintained a buffer stock of vaccines sufficient for six months to guarantee an uninterrupted supply," he stressed, adding that any isolated challenges would be promptly addressed. 

The BCG vaccine distribution will see Nairobi receive 450,000 doses while Kisumu will benefit with 300,000 doses. Others include Kakamega (276,000 doses), Nakuru (264,000 doses), Mombasa (120,000 doses), Meru (90,000 doses), Nyeri (90,000 doses), Garissa (120,000 doses), and Eldoret (290,000 doses).

An additional 234,000 doses will remain at the CVS as buffer stock. 

The measles-rubella vaccines, critical for protecting children against life-threatening diseases, will also be distributed nationwide. 

The arrival of the BCG vaccines is particularly timely, as the country faces shortages that have lasted for months. Some counties experienced limited supplies, while others suffered complete stockouts.

Dr Amoth attributed the delays to financial challenges caused by late approval of revenue collection documents, which hindered payments to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Kenya’s primary vaccine supplier. 

"When we placed our orders with UNICEF, the submission of resources was delayed. This affected the supply chain pipeline for BCG," Dr Amoth explained. 

The National Treasury, according to Amoth, has since resolved these financial delays, and the Ministry of Health has implemented measures to prioritise the most affected regions.

 Redistribution from low-utilisation to high-demand health facilities is ongoing, and health officials are maintaining records of children who missed vaccines to ensure they receive catch-up immunisations. 

In addition to the current shipment, the Ministry announced the arrival of further vaccine supplies in the coming weeks.

According to the ministry’s pledge,  Kenya will receive

486,000 doses of Rotavirus vaccine, 2.3 million doses of Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine and 1.2 million doses of Pentavalent vaccine, by January 27, 2025.

Furthermore, 960,000 doses of the oral polio vaccine are expected to arrive by February 3, 2025. 

Health Cabinet Secretary, Deborah Barasa, emphasised the government’s commitment to preventing future vaccine shortages.

 “We are committed to finding lasting solutions for vaccine procurement and supply to prevent such disruptions in the future,” she said. 

Barasa outlined steps to strengthen partnerships with international organisations like UNICEF and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi).

Additionally, she dittoed the importance of fast-tracking Kenya’s attainment of ML3 manufacturing status to enable local vaccine production. 

The Ministry has urged caregivers to avail children at  health facilities for immunisation and to ensure catch-up doses are administered for those who missed vaccinations. Counties have also been called upon to prioritize the collection of vaccines from regional depots to ensure timely distribution.