One Shot, Long Life!

About this Episode

In 2024 and 2025, Kenya faced a severe vaccine stockout crisis, prompting a critical question in Parliament: When caregivers must cross borders to find routine vaccines, how many others are left behind? On February 5, 2026, stakeholders gathered in Nairobi to move from assigning blame to building sustainable solutions.

In this episode of "One Shot, Long Life," host Abel Akara Ticha takes us inside that dialogue with three key leaders: Dr. Rose Jalang'o (Manager, Kenya’s National Vaccines and Immunization Program), Ms. Risper Chebet (Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s Africa Regional Coordinator on Vaccine Availability) and Global Health Journalist Dorcas Wangira.

Together, they explore the root causes of stockouts—from delayed procurement to financing gaps—and the path forward as Kenya prepares for the end of Gavi support in 2029. Dr. Jalang'o argues that vaccine availability is not just a technical challenge, but a "public confidence issue," while Ms. Chebet highlights the need for better forecasting and coordination under the next five-year program of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. ." Meanwhile, Ms. Wangira sheds light on the media’s role in holding power to account and combatting the misinformation that drives vaccine hesitancy.

Join us to understand how civil society, government and media are collaborating to ensure that supply chains remain strong and communities remain confident. As the team discusses, stockouts are not inevitable. They are the result of choices about budgets, priorities and trust.