When news broke yesterday in Nairobi that the city's main hospitals would start vaccinating Kenyans, queues quickly formed of people requesting free injections of AstraZeneca, the vaccine donated by the Covax international programme for developing countries. But not only that, there were also people who admitted that they were ready to pay, as promised by some facilities or, rather, by doctors or nurses working there.
This mad rush caused the facilities to suspend the service and the Ministry of Health to clarify the first phase of vaccinations in Kenya, which involves immunising three categories of citizens: first of all health workers (vaccinations are already well underway), then employees of the police force and government offices including the teaching staff, and finally the elderly and vulnerable.
This first phase, according to the Ministry of Health's plans, should end at the end of April when the phase dedicated to residents will begin, following other priorities.
In the meantime, however, some international companies have already signed agreements to sell their vaccines to private facilities in the country, which from next month will be able to offer them for sale to those who wish to be vaccinated. The first to set the selling price was Russia's Sputnik, which will allow the use of its vaccine at the price of Kes. 5,500 (just under 50 euros) per dose, then 11,000 including the booster.
The biggest problems occurred at Mbagathi Hospital, the public hospital converted almost entirely into a Covid-19 facility.
As early as 6 am, large numbers of Kenyans crowded the hospital, one of the few health institutions offering the vaccine in Nairobi, forcing the hospital authorities to close the gates in an attempt to manage the crowd.
Word had apparently spread that the facility was offering the free Covid-19 vaccine to all, including non-frontline workers, prompting hundreds of Kenyans to grab it before possibly having to pay for it later.
The situation got out of control after some people who had been locked out of the hospital compound for lack of documents proving that they were frontline workers, rebelled and protested by forming mobs.
It was the Superintendent of the hospital, Loise Mutai, who stopped the registration and vaccination process until order was restored.
"I don't know who suggested you come here because for now only health workers, teachers and police officers are allowed to vaccinate," Mutai ordered the visibly irritated crowd.
Mbagathi is not the only facility in the country where people admitted to being called for the vaccine and being told they would have to pay a small fee.
According to local media reports, there have already been some arrests among clinic and laboratory staff, while the Ministry warns that vaccinations are proceeding at a rate of about 5,000 people a day.