Montecarlo
Elder Lister
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya has offered free COVID-19 vaccines to all diplomats based there, including thousands of United Nations staff, even though it has not completed inoculating its own health workers, other frontline staff or elderly, drawing criticism from local medics.
The offer was made in a March 18 letter sent by the Ministry of Foreign affairs to diplomatic missions and seen by Reuters. Macharia Kamau, the foreign ministry's principal secretary, said the shots being offered had been supplied via the World Health Organization (WHO) co-led COVAX vaccine access scheme.
“Why does the Kenyan government prioritize expats - who have money and can get the vaccines through their own channels - over its own population, especially the poor?,” said one of diplomats whose embassy had received the jabs offer.
The offer was made in a March 18 letter sent by the Ministry of Foreign affairs to diplomatic missions and seen by Reuters. Macharia Kamau, the foreign ministry's principal secretary, said the shots being offered had been supplied via the World Health Organization (WHO) co-led COVAX vaccine access scheme.
“Why does the Kenyan government prioritize expats - who have money and can get the vaccines through their own channels - over its own population, especially the poor?,” said one of diplomats whose embassy had received the jabs offer.
