Concerns in Kenya over perceived jabs dependency

Kenyans receiving COVID-19 vaccines on Sunday expressed concerns over the countries dependency on donations of doses.

The UK recently sent a donation of AstraZeneca vaccines to help with Kenya's inoculation drive, which has been distributed through various pop-up vaccination sites across the country.

But residents feel that the Kenyan government needs to step up and start manufacturing the vaccines within the country to avoid being reliant on outside help.

One Nairobi local, Jack Ochieng, said "as a country I believe we can be able to manage ourselves. It is just a matter of us knowing how to manage our resources," adding "I believe the government should just find strategies to sort such issues out in regards to a pandemic."

His sentiments were shared by others, including Eliud Angaine, another Nairobi resident questioned "my request to government is whether we can make our own vaccine here in Kenya."

Kenya has seen over 4,000 deaths related to COVID-19, while just under 2 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University data.