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Police in Nakuru County, Kenya, have arrested a Catholic nun for blocking the immunisation of at least 700 pupils against measles and rubella.
The immunisation campaign was launched by the Kenyan government on Monday last week and was set to end on Tuesday.
The ministry of health had announced that it targeted 19 million children aged between 9 months and 14 years.
However, Daily Nation reported that five Catholic sponsored schools in Nakuru blocked the immunisation drive, contrary to the Public Health Act.
A Catholic nun who was the head teacher at one of the schools was arrested on Monday following complaints by the parents that she had blocked their pupils from accessing the jab.
She would be arraigned to answer to charges of endangering lives of the pupils.
The ministry had already directed parents with children in institutions that do not support the campaign to seek alternative immunisation centres.
The campaign was expected to achieve 100% success rate despite various challenges especially in Nakuru and Loitoktok.
“By Saturday, we had vaccinated 16,456,219 children against #MeaslesRubella, translating to 86 percent national coverage. #EveryLastChild,” the ministry announced on Twitter.
