Views on COVID-19 vaccination among residents of Eldoret, Kenya during the 2021 vaccine rollout

The Government of Kenya initiated COVID-19 vaccination program in March 2021. However, vaccine uptake remains low, especially in rural areas in Kenya. We interviewed 40 residents of Eldoret town to explore the knowledge, beliefs, and meanings they attach towards vaccines generally, and why they chos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global public health 2023, Vol.18 (1), p.2278877
Main Authors: Bosire, Edna N., Cho, Allie, Kamau, Lucy Wambui, Bosire, Violet, Mendenhall, Emily
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Child
Childbearing
Children
Conspiracy
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 - prevention & control
COVID-19 Vaccines
Eldoret
False information
Female
Humans
Immunization
Kenya
Kenya - epidemiology
Mass media
Misinformation
Mothers
Older people
Political factors
Pregnancy
Prioritizing
Residents
Risk perception
Rural areas
Rural communities
Social media
Social networks
Socioeconomic factors
Vaccination
Vaccine hesitancy
Vaccines
Women
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Summary:The Government of Kenya initiated COVID-19 vaccination program in March 2021. However, vaccine uptake remains low, especially in rural areas in Kenya. We interviewed 40 residents of Eldoret town to explore the knowledge, beliefs, and meanings they attach towards vaccines generally, and why they chose to vaccinate or not. Two-thirds of our participants perceived themselves to be at risk of COVID-19 infections. About half demonstrated willingness to be vaccinated and about a third had been vaccinated. All participants were knowledgeable about the broader benefits of vaccination. Yet, widespread beliefs that vaccination programmes target children and pregnant women decreased vaccine acceptance. Also, we found that concerns about vaccine safety, lack of knowledge, misinformation from social media, and conspiracy theories contributed to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Eldoret. Low COVID-19 vaccination rates and hesitancy - even when the vaccines are accessible and free in Kenya - cannot be ignored. The current COVID-19 vaccination prioritisation schedule (distinct from the usual structure where children, childbearing women are prioritised) and beliefs that older people are targeted to test vaccines efficacy must be addressed through improved communication and mass education. More research is needed to investigate the socio-economic, political, and historical factors that influence vaccine hesitancy in Kenya.
ISSN:1744-1692
1744-1706
1744-1706
DOI:10.1080/17441692.2023.2278877