06 May 2025

Every shot counts: How childhood vaccines build shields against preventable diseases

This article first appeared on The Standard on 5 May, 2025 Vaccines remain one of humanity’s greatest achievements. As Kenya marks the African Vaccination Week, health experts are celebrating significant progress—more children than ever are surviving infancy and living beyond their first birthday. However, challen...
06 January 2023

Stopping the spread of measles during Kenya's worst drought in 40 years

On a sunny afternoon in Kangataruk Village in northern Kenya, a long line of mothers wait with young children, here to receive the measles vaccine. The mothers are calm but tired as they have been waiting for hours. Many are decorated with colourful bead chains of red, yellow, and green, wrapped around their necks...
06 January 2023

Protecting children in refugee camps from measles

Elizabeth Lokosang (not her real name) and her family of six children are among 180,000 refugees and asylum seekers who have found their way to Kakuma Refugee Camp. Located in northwest Kenya, 100km from the South Sudan border, the refugee camp bustles with spaza shops and small businesses as temperature hover abo...
20 July 2018

In Kenya, a mother's tale of protection through vaccination

NAIROBI, Kenya, 20 July 2018, - Ruth Kavuu braved the July chills in Nairobi and strapped her three month old son on her back and the other three year old was in hand as she traced the polio vaccinators in her neighborhood. She lives in Chokaa area, Njiru in Nairobi with her husband and their two sons, Ethan Waful...
28 June 2018

Every child counts

On 27 June 2018, the President of Kenya H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta launched a joint initiative to significantly improve the health and well-being of children and women. The campaign is a collaborative effort led by the Ministry of Health, with funding to UNICEF from GAVI and the World Bank, to strengthen health systems i...
24 April 2018

Universal Health Care in Kenya and Defeating Poverty through Immunization

NAIROBI, Kenya, 24 April 2018, - This week marks World Immunization Week – a global effort to focus the world’s attention on the importance of immunization for child health and survival. For Kenya, it is of double significance as it coincides with the announcement that Kenya is one of the three African countries ...