Kenya, UK to process Covid-19 vaccine certificates to ease movement restrictions

Kenya and the United Kingdom are working to process Covid-19 certificates which will be issued to citizens from both countries who have been fully vaccinated.

In a joint statement,  Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott said the move is aimed at easing restrictions of movement of passengers from either side.

According to both government officials, the move follows a significant public concern about the issue of vaccine certification.

“We want to make it clear that both the UK and Kenya recognize vaccines administered in both countries: Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. It is false to state that vaccines administered in either country are unapproved,” reads part of the statement.

Kagwe and Marriot disclosed that this is a matter currently under deliberation with a view to arriving at a resolution soonest.

“At present, neither country has completed the process of recognizing the other country’s vaccine certificates. We are working as fast as possible to ensure this happens so travel is as smooth as possible for our peoples,” read the statement.

Additionally, they stated that the move has also been necessitated by the recent decision by the UK to remove Kenya from a list of countries whose citizens are barred from entering its boundaries due to the covid-19 situation.

For the time being, passengers who aren’t recognized as being fully vaccinated with authorized vaccines and certificates under England’s international travel rules will still have to take a pre-departure test.

The UK announced that the new changes in regards to travel restrictions is supposed to take effect today.

UK’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the country will be revising the vaccination regulations in the country to ease travel, which will allow fully vaccinated travelers into the UK without taking Covid-19 tests, beginning October 4.

“We’re making testing easier for travel from Mon 4 Oct, if you’re fully vaccinated you won’t need a pre-departure test before arrival into England from a non-red country and from later in Oct, will be able to replace the day 2 PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow,” Shapps said.