The Government Spokesperson Col (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna has called upon all eligible voters who have not registered as voters to take advantage of the remaining days and do so before they are locked out at the expiry of the exercise on 6th February 2022.
Speaking in his office during a media briefing, Oguna said as at 31st January, IEBC had only registered 548,188 new voters against a target of 2,987,138, adding that these numbers are still low.
“It is important to remember that voting is a constitutional right, which every patriotic individual should participate in,” he said.
On the health sector, the government spokesperson said the country continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, though a lot of progress has been made since the first case was detected in March 2020.
“We have enhanced both our capacity and capability in the management of the pandemic, as well as other diseases. As a people, we have so much to celebrate in the health sector including the vaccination program,” he said.
He further noted that the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government and that of Health, will launch a nationwide accelerated vaccination campaign drive on Thursday, 3rd February 2022.
The launching will be done in Nairobi, but the campaign will be for the whole country, aimed at encouraging more people to get the vaccine. Consequently, Oguna encouraged those who are yet to get vaccinated to take advantage of the drive to get the jab adding that the vaccines work.
Moreover, the spokesperson said that the government is committed in ensuring that all Kenyans can access quality Medicare as provided for in the Big 4 Agenda and in line with Vision 2030.
Towards this end, Oguna noted that President Uhuru Kenyatta will soon launch the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) upscale program, aimed at pushing UHC registration to the next level and to ensure that the most vulnerable are cushioned.
“The government has already released Sh6 billion to cover 1.2 million households, a program that provides an opportunity for members of our society to register with the national insurer in masses. Health is an aspect of development, let us all register with NHIF,” he said.
At the same time, Oguna also disclosed that the first ever Healthcare workers Curriculum Conference will be held in the country from 7th -9th February 2022, and 99 countries have already confirmed participation, with speakers from across the world.
He said the objective of the conference will be to determine a curriculum to train health care workers of tomorrow to be able to respond to future health needs.
By Catherine Muindi
