NAIROBI, Kenya – The Ministry of Health has received a shipment of three million doses of the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, offering relief amid a growing shortage of vaccines across the country.
Principal Secretary for Medical Services Ouma Oluga received the consignment on Wednesday evening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The BCG vaccine, which protects against tuberculosis, is a key part of Kenya’s routine immunization programme.
Delivered with the support of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), the new supply comes just days after the Ministry warned that dwindling stock levels had left 12 of Kenya’s 47 counties without any BCG vaccines.
“The vaccines came at a critical time to replenish national stocks and sustain Kenya’s routine immunisation programme,” the Ministry said in a statement, adding that distribution to counties will begin immediately to ensure uninterrupted protection of newborns and young children.
Oluga, who was joined at the airport by Head of Family Health Bashir Issak and National Vaccines and Immunization Programme (NVIP) chief Rose Jalango, said the Ministry was committed to vaccine security and equitable access.
Last week, the PS had indicated that the country expected to receive and distribute the vaccines by June 15.
He also acknowledged that several counties were already experiencing shortages due to global supply constraints.
“We have put in place the Zero-Dose Catch-Up Mechanism under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) to ensure that no child misses a single dose of any vaccine,” he said.
Oluga said the Ministry was actively redistributing available stocks in collaboration with county governments, and that a strategic vaccine reserve was being developed for all 47 counties to support a faster response in times of crisis.
