Trace Launches Campaign To Remind Kenyans To Get COVID-19 Vaccines

Trace Foundation on Thursday, November 24 hosted a media engagement in Kenya as part of efforts to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination in Africa.

The engagement was launched with support from the German Cooperation project on Strengthening Crisis and Pandemic Response in Africa and implemented by German Development Cooperation (GIZ) Office to the African Union (AU).

This was to kickstart its AU Bingwa Initiative activation in various parts of the country. This effort is a contribution to the AU COVID-19 Bingwa Initiative.

Mr Danny Mucira, MD Trace Eastern Africa, speaking on November 24, 2022. /COURTESY

In April 2022, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission officially launched the AU Bingwa Initiative as part of the Africa CDC’s Programme of Saving Lives and  Livelihoods. Bingwa is the Swahili word for “Champion”.

The initiative seeks to establish a network of COVID-19 vaccination youth champions across the continent to accelerate the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination in Africa to achieve a 70 per cent vaccination rate on the continent.

The initiative has already been launched across several member states of the African Union including Ethiopia, Zambia, Uganda, and Nigeria. 

African youths constitute over 60 per cent of the continent’s population, and their mobilization and meaningful engagement have the potential to be game-changing in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent. In realisation of the transformative role of young people towards achieving the 70% vaccination target on the continent.

"Trace Foundation will leverage the creative and mobilisation capacities of musicians, filmmakers, and social and religious influencers to support the initiative. Through the Initiative, mobile vaccinations will be provided in roadshows and vaccination events at colleges, youth centres, cinemas, and shopping malls," Trace explained in a statement seen by Viral Tea.

To support the advocacy, mobilization, and popularization of the Call to Action for every citizen to get their vaccine shot, the GIZ implemented the project on Strengthening Crisis and Pandemic Response in Africa and engaged Trace Foundation to support the AU Bingwa initiative through icon-led activations and communications. 

Leveraging its longstanding experience in leading similar campaigns, the Trace support will focus on engaging and educating African youth about the COVID-19 vaccine, counter vaccine misinformation, and stimulate massive demand to get the vaccine in the youth population in pursuit of the AU Bingwa objective of targeting the vaccination of  100 million young people in Africa.

The press engagement had in attendance popular Kenyan artists, Fena Gitu, Kagwe Mungai, and Bensoul. In addition, popular Kenyan influencers like Adelle Onyango, Jaymo Ule Messe, and Dr Ofweneke also were in attendance. 

Sequel to the press engagement, on Friday, November 25, the Trace Foundation in collaboration with AMREF Kenya will carry out an activation/vaccine drive at the Cooperative University of Kenya where young Africans can meet with their favourite influencers/artists while getting vaccinated on-site  

On Saturday, November 26, roadshows will be held in Kawangware and Uthiru residential areas.

As of Wednesday, November 23, 119 people across Kenya, out of a sample size of 1,691, contracted COVID-19 in the last 24 hours to bring the national positivity rate to 7 per cent, according to the Ministry of Health.