At least 21,000 people in Makueni County have been fully vaccinated, while another 70,000 have received the first dose against covid-19, ahead of the 7th annual Devolution Conference scheduled to take place between 23rd and 26th November at Makueni Boys High School.
Giving the statistics, the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) of Health Dr. Rashid Aman said that every person who will attend the devolution conference will have to be fully vaccinated in order to be allowed to participate in the event.
In this regard, the CAS urged the area residents, especially those that will be participating in the devolution conference, to come out in large numbers and be vaccinated in order to minimize the transmission of the virus.
“Only 3.6% of adults in Makueni County have been vaccinated which translates to 21,000 people, while another 70,000 have received the first dose of the vaccine,” said Dr. Aman while addressing the media on Wednesday during an inspection tour of the county preparedness for the conference.
Also, the CAS noted that on Tuesday night, they received 700,000 vaccines of AstraZeneca, while asking Kenyans who are over 18 years and above to come out and be vaccinated in a bid to ensure 27 million people are vaccinated by the end of 2022.
Dr. Aman noted that the government has been able to suppress the transmission level below 2% for the past several weeks, which is a good sign in fighting the virus.
“We are glad to be back on board, looking forward for the conference to be held here in Makueni, after it was postponed because of the Covid-19,” he added.
Speaking at the same event, Kisii Governor James Ongwae who doubles up as the vice chair for the Council of Governors (COG), said vaccination remains a key requirement for the conference to curb the spread of the pandemic.
While saying 3,000 participants will attend the event, Ongwae said that all were expected to be fully vaccinated before they come to the devolution conference.
Further, he said the conference will discuss climate change matters affecting the country, saying its effects have resulted to drought and hunger in some counties.
“We are going to be the first country in the world to hold a conference on climate change after Glasgow, which means we are in tandem with the thinking of the world. We shall deal with issues affecting our fathers and mothers at the local level. We must understand climate issues,” said Ongwae.
On his part, Makueni Governor Prof. Kivutha Kibwana said that this will be the last devolution conference to be held annually before it reverts to being a bi-annual event.
Kibwana said that the people from the grassroots will be given an opportunity to participate in the conference, especially to raise issues of climate change affecting them.
“Residents will be allowed to contribute on how climate has affected them and suggest solutions on what the community and the government should do to mitigate the problem,” said Prof. Kibwana.
By Ronald Rono
