Baringo Assembly Majority Chief Whip Reuben Chepsongol has joined the growing list of proponents advocating for importation of Covid-19 vaccines by private enterprises in the Country.
Speaking to the press outside the Baringo County Assembly buildings on Tuesday, Chepsongol who is also MCA for Bartabwa urged the government to approve importation of such vaccines by people other than the government in order to boost the vaccination programme in the Country and save more lives.
The vocal MCA called on Ministry of Health not to condemn alternative vaccines but instead embrace them in a regulated manner.
He noted that had other vaccines been allowed into the Country, it could have eased the growing anxiety of those who took the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine and are not sure whether they will get the second shot on time.
At the same time, he challenged the Kenyan authorities to embrace local research on vaccines in order to limit over dependence on foreign countries. “We have the capability to manufacture our own Covid-19 vaccines because we have enough experts and the resources to do so,” he said.
The Bartabwa MCA also lamented over the sudden shortage of Anti-retroviral (ARVs) drugs in the Country saying that it has become a challenge to those who depend on them.
He urged the government to take immediate action to provide the drugs since continued delay will put such patients at a higher risk of not getting treatment during a period when Covid-19 has ravaged the country.
By Benson Kelio and Christopher Kiprop
