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The fight against Covid -19 pandemic has received a major boost after the government received Sh212 million from Japanese government to improve the cold chain capacity for Covid-19 vaccines roll out. 

The grant makes Kenya one of the 11 countries in the East and Southern Africa region that have received about Sh1.2 billion in total from the Japanese embassy.

Ambassador of Japan to Kenya, Horie Ryoichi, said the assistance will be used to strengthen Kenya’s health system capacity as it rolls out the largest vaccination programme in its history.

“Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya, Japan has been contributing to the fight against the virus by providing medical equipment and PCR test kits,” Ryoichi said in a statement.

He noted that Japan is committed to supporting the improvement of the vaccination programmes all over the world hence Sh21.2 billion Kenya to the Covax facility, an international mechanism led by Gavi, CEPI, WHO and UNICEF.

According to the envoy, the funding will support the Kenyan Government in its Covid-19 vaccination efforts, especially through the procurement of equipment for vaccine storage, distribution and continuous temperature monitoring.

Swift distribution

This includes storage for vaccines that require ‘ultra-cold’ temperatures. The funds will also be used to support the installation of new equipment and provide training to the healthcare workers on how to operate the equipment.

“That’s why we decided to provide this emergency grant to ensure equitable access and swift distribution of vaccines in Kenya.

Japan has decided to co-host the Vaccine Summit on June 2 and I am sure that we will continue to contribute towards the global fight against Covid-19 including the enhancement of vaccine access,” he added.

UNICEF Representative to Kenya, Maniza Zaman,  said hailed the Government of Japan for supporting children and families in Kenya, particularly  at this time of need. — KNA