Kenya Gov't Orders All Civil Servants to Get COVID-19 Vaccine or Face Disciplinary Action

The government has issued a directive requiring all civil servants to get a COVID-19 vaccine by August 23rd.

Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua in a statement said civil servants who fail to get inoculated by the specified date will face disciplinary action.

Kinyua asked principal secretaries and accounting officers to ensure that the directive is fully implemented.

He noted that poor COVID-19 vaccination uptake among civil servants in key sectors such as security and education has negatively impacted public service delivery.

“In a recent NSAC meeting, it was reported that there was a low uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among public servants especially the security sector, teachers, and the core civil service,” the statement reads.  

The statement added that some government employees have deliberately evaded taking the jab to avoid going to work under the excuse of working from home.

“It was also observed that some public servants have deliberately avoided getting vaccinated so that they can stay away from work under the guise of working from home,” the statement adds. 

The Health Ministry has so far administered 1,804,375 jabs across the country of which 1,105,470 are first doses while second doses are 698,905.

Those who have been fully vaccinated include 214,722 persons aged 58 and above, 120,155 health workers, 102,007 teachers, and 56,219 security officers.