• Clergymen led by Bishop Wilson Kurui said only through mass vaccinations can Kenya with the disease and shorten its impact on lives.
• The Association of Public Health Officers Kenya is urging Kenyans to go for the vaccine and rejected unfounded fears about its safety,
Rift Valley bishops are urging the government to spend more resources on more Covid-19 jabs for mass vaccination.
Clergymen led by chairman of their forum Bishop Wilson Kurui said on Sunday only through mass vaccination will Kenya be able to control he disease and shorten its impact on lives.
“We should invest more in getting the vaccines in huge amounts and then have mass vaccination so we improve the immunity of our people so they can engage in their usual economic activities," he said.
Catholic Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Eldoret supported President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to impose a lockdown on five counties and other measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
He said the lockdown was necessary because increasing numbers of Kenyans were dying from the disease and hospitals were overwhelmed, running short of beds and medical oxygen.
Kimengich also called for importing more vaccines.
“The disease has taken the lives of many people and the government should focus on having more resources so that in a shorter time we can resume normal activities," Kimengich said.
Meantime, the Association of Public Health Officers Kenya urged Kenyans to go for the jab and reject unfounded fears of its safety.
Chairman of the association Mathew Kore says the vaccine had been certified by WHO and was safe. He complained the government did not involve public health officers in educating Kenyans before vaccinations began.
Muslim Preachers and Imams have supported the government's decision to ban private dealers from importing and administering vaccines.
Chairman of the Imams in Rift Valley Abubakar Bini said allowing private dealers to import would expose Kenyans to health risks from unapproved vaccines.
Bini said private dealers would exploit desperate Kenyans by charging exorbitant prices.
Kurui urged the national government and counties to consider tax relief and food aid to help many families suffering from the effects of the pandemic.
(Edited by V. Graham)