Travellers at the Kibwezi matatu stage during the Christmas transport rush in Nairobi on December 23, 2021. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]
Kenyans heading home for the Christmas holiday reacted to the announcement by the government that the Covid-19 vaccination certificate will be a requirement to get service in public spaces.
A spot check by The Standard on the transport sector indicated that the directive was yet to be complied with.
A majority of the travellers were either not vaccinated or had only received one jab.
A section of those vaccinated could also not produce their vaccination certificate, claiming they were not aware of the process of obtaining it.
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"I was given the second jab in October. I don't have a phone that can access the internet to obtain the certificate," said Charles Njoroge, an elder.
Mary Odhiambo explained that she had lost her mobile phone on which the Ministry of Health had sent text messages confirming her vaccination.
"I have to travel upcountry for the holiday. I was asked to produce a certificate but I didn't have it. The operators were kind enough to allow me to board the vehicle," said Odhiambo.
Central Rift Matatu Owners Association chairperson Stephen Muli explained there were many difficulties in its implementation.
"Most clients are either not vaccinated or have received only one jab. It is also not in order to turn away a passenger who has no proof of vaccination," said Muli.
He explained that the matatu operators had no means to validate the certificates produced in soft copies by their clients.
Muli called on the government to deploy health workers to public spaces for vaccination drives to speed up the uptake of the jab.
"Vaccination should be moved to the places where vaccination certificate is a requirement. This will boost the uptake of the jab towards a herd immunity," said Muli.
