Executive Director, Kenya Paediatric Research Consortium at the University of Nairobi Prof. Fredrick Were addressing members of the media on their readiness to comply with the Ministry of Health roll out exercise on PHC-RMNCAH-N vaccination in Northern Part of Kenya on Monday, 21st July, 2025 at Panafric Hotel, Nairobi
The Kenya Paediatric Research Consortium (Keprecon) via the Championing Evidence Based Advocacy (CEBA) for Primary Health Care (PHC) and Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNNCAH+N) has urged Northeastern Religious Leaders to advocate for the HPV vaccination to women living in marginalized regions
Speaking on Monday 21st July, 2015 at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya Paediatric Research Consortium Executive Director Prof. Fredrick Were, stated that the said vaccines had faced criticism from northern people following their cultural beliefs and they would urge them not to resist
He called on religious leaders to advocate the vaccination in all public forums including mosque so that men can propagate the same message to their wives and girls
The vaccine is aimed to be administered to all girls and women starting from the age of 9 to 45 years of age respectively.
‘‘We urge the leaders to pass the message to their people and accept the roll out of the exercise which is being carried by the Ministry of Health. It is meant to prevent human papilloma virus [HPV] which causes cervical cancer and it’s recommended for preteens and can be given up to age of forty-five years,’’ Prof. Fred Were stated.
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The meeting was also aimed at addressing and clarifying cultural and religious concerns around the HPV vaccine to foster community acceptance and strengthen the role of religious leaders as advocates of HPV vaccination uptake within their counties
Deputy Governor of Mandera Dr. Ali Maalim, noted that they have lost a number of women particularly in some counties namely including; Isiolo, Mandera, Wajir and Garrisa over the HPV which they were reluctant of their women being vaccinated.
‘‘The message was not clear, you can’t pass any information to a pastoralist without going through the male or husband, men are the ones who passes information to their families and that’s our culture.
Remember, we have been told so many things about our historical injustices but it is the highest opportune time to forgo all those stories and advocate now for these preventive measures. As a community, we have lost many lives over these HPV,’’ Maalim said.
Maalim noted that the three county health departments had agreed to work closely with the ministry of health to ensure that the vaccination is carried out hundred per cent to all targeted age groups
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Wajir County First Lady Rukia Abdinasir, also appealed to teenagers and all mothers living in those areas to come out in large numbers to get the crucial vaccination within the time lines that the government has specified.
‘‘I want to urge mothers from my county of Wajir, Isiolo, Mandera and Garissa to let their girl chide get the vaccination and all other women up to the age of 45 because we have understood the importance of this immunization lest we continue losing our people without preventing some of curable diseases,’’ Rukia advised.