Reported by
Faridah N Kulumba
Kenya has sounded the alarm over potential Corona virus ‘vaccine apartheid’ happening between two countries, hitting out at the United Kingdom government of instituting “discriminatory policy ” after London issued a travel ban on the east African nation.
Nairobi’s reaction followed London’s decision on Friday to add Kenya to its coronavirus travel red list, and announced its own measures on travellers coming from the UK. This sparked Kenya’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday to issue a press statement responding to the UK travel ban.
“Kenya continues to see, with deep regret , that vaccine producing countries around the world have begun practising a form of vaccine nationalism, possessiveness, and discrimination, coupled with a vaccine hoarding attitude that can only be described as a form of ‘vaccine apartheid,” said Kenyan’s Foreign Ministry.
The strong worded statement also argued that Covid-19 vaccines are not available to all nations, which will make it possible for other countries to win the war.
“This vaccine apartheid, coupled with the reckless calls for vaccine passports while not making the vaccine available to all nations, widens existing inequalities and makes it near impossible for the world to win the war against the pandemic,” said the statement.
The measures
According to Kenya’s overseas Ministry assertion declared all passengers originating from or transiting by way of UK airports will now be required to spend 14 days in quarantine at a government designated facility, the place they might want to take two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, at their own expense.
And this includes all Kenyans who stay within United Kingdom and cargo flights.
The UK measures also adds that every one vacationers who have been in or by way of Kenya within the earlier 10 days shall be refused to enter England, British, Irish, and third country nationals with residence rights shall be allowed to entry however shall be required to self-isolate in a lodge approved by the government for 10 days at their own expense.
Other nations on the UK red list
United Kingdom has virtually 40 nations on its list. Many of these nations are African or South America nations.
Surprisingly European nations which might be at the moment experiencing a 3rd wave of circumstances, equivalent to France, are not on the red list.
Kenya’s Covid-19 situation recently
Macharia Kamau Kenya’s principal secretary to the Ministry of of Foreign Affairs who also served as Kenya’s ambassador to the United Kingdom told CNN in a telephone interview that it is not like they have an out-of control Covid-19 scenario in Kenya.
“It is not like we’re not exercising nice prudence and it isn’t like we’re not managing the scenario diligently right here,” said Kamau.
But it is almost two weeks now since Kenya’s president Uhuru Kinyata ordered the cessation of all movement into and out of 5 counties due to the surge in numbers of Covid-19 cases.
Irene Akinyi a journalist with Uganda Broadcasting Cooperation told African Report that indeed Covid-19 situation in her country is really bad due to the cases escalating tremendously in some areas. She also said that this week the Nairobi Assembly was forced to cancel the sittings due to the fact that many members tested positive.
