In the week that the pandemic returned to remind us that the situation is still in a precarious balance, with new waves multiplying in various countries, many states announced new restrictions in order to counter the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Meanwhile, many African countries, including Kenya, have begun sequencing infected cases in search of the new omicron variant.
On November 23, the minister of health, Mutahi Kagwe, announced serious restrictions for those who do not vaccinate, starting on December 22, a date by which he said he wanted to reach 30 million vaccinated people. The vaccine will be required for a huge amount of services, almost all of those offered by the government and others. Restaurants, places of worship, public transportation, flights, but more importantly, numerous jobs, may not be available for many from December 22.
The measures announced have already created much discontent. That compulsory vaccination is the cause of strong contrasts between the civilian population and the various legislators has been shown by the numerous protests in countries where similar measures have already been introduced. Here the motivations seem to be of a different nature: some are opposed starting from the observation that the epidemiological situation in Kenya is not such as to require such drastic measures, that a measure similar to the “global north” is not at all necessary; others, in my opinion in a more structured way, are angry with a measure that seems really too optimistic and in practice unfeasible. To date, has not even reached the threshold of 10% of vaccinations and manage a situation of non-compliance of citizens seems today a titanic task.
