The government of Kenya has pledged to disburse 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to prisons in its five-day special vaccination drive.
Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe noted that the government is targeting to vaccinate over 50,000 prisoners at the country’s 133 correctional facilities.
In this regard, Kagwe and Interior Minister Fred Matiangi launched a campaign for inmates and staff at the Naivasha Maximum Prison in the town of Naivasha, 97 kilometres from the capital Nairobi.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Kagwe said the exercise will lead to the resumption of visits by families of inmates, which had been suspended with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are happy to contribute to a return to normalcy for inmates. They should be treated as other Kenyans,” he added.
Over 3.66 million doses have been administered so far but just about 2% of the country’s 53 million people are fully vaccinated. The government is targeting to inoculate at least 10 million people by December.
With 255 new cases, the total number of cases reached 248,770, including 5,116 related deaths.