JKIA Prepares For Vaccine Roll, Are Kenyans Ready For The Jab?

By Clinton Ochieng

Kenya’s main airport in the CBD Jomo Kenyatta International Airport will not find it hard to switch from handling fruits to importing vaccines because extensive cold storages are already in place.

Among Kenya’s main exports are farm commodities such as fresh fruit and vegetables, which must be kept cold before being loaded onto planes at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

“The fortunate thing about Jomo Kenyatta is it has the biggest capacity within the East Africa region because of the nature of our trade,” Daniel Tanui, managing director of Mitchell Cotts, one of the biggest logistics companies in the country, told Reuters.

Companies and governments around the world are racing to establish cold-chain storage and delivery systems for vaccines which must be shipped and stored at ultra-cold temperatures and can only be kept in a standard fridge for up to five days.

Mitchell Cotts has applied for international certification by health authorities to handle the imports. This is because Tanui believes that they can handle the vaccines which need to be kept as cold as negative-30 degrees.

The company plans to modify its existing pharma unit at its 2.7 billion shillings facility at the airport, adding extra cabinets to hold the vaccines, and enhancing security.