A Catholic priest and Africa Inland Church cleric differed on Sunday over the ongoing polio immunisation programme administered to children under the age of five years.
Father Thomas Menge from Nyamira does not support the campaign against the vaccination while his counterpart Reverend Victor Mose of AIC-Kisii supports it. Reverend Mose accused the Roman Catholic Church of selfishness.
Father Menge on Friday stood down an administrator at a funeral after he had attempted to announce the kickoff of the polio vaccination exercise in Gesusu Ward, Masaba Sub-County.
The Catholic cleric put down the assistant Chief, Phanuel Nyagaka saying that the government was hoodwinking people into allowing their children to be vaccinated against polio.
Father Menge said the Catholic Church will step up pressure to have the vaccination withdrawn.
He said the government owed Kenyans an explanation regarding the safety of the jab.
“There is something fishy here. These jabs have been said to contain family planning elements and should be avoided. Kenyans should be cautious in embracing the vaccine before they get adequate explanation on its safety," he said.
“Some of these countries where the vaccine is originating have doubtful records. We have information that they could be laced with family planning elements and may affect births in few years to come,” Father Menge said.
On the other hand, Reverend Victor Mose, Regional Administrative Secretary of AIC in Kisii and Nyamira counties, said the government should be supported in its initiative to drive out polio from children.
“I was vaccinated when I was young against polio and my two children have gone through the vaccination and I do not see why the hullabaloo about it. Let us embrace it and stop the sideshows,” he said.
Rev Mose, who is also a councillor for Clubfoot Care for Kenya (CCK) sponsored by AIC Kijabe Mission Hospital at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, noted most cases of clubfoot are idiopathic but suggested polio immunisation would help cut down incidents of children born with the foot deformity.
The Catholic Church has been at the centre of the controversy after its clergy sensationally alleged that the polio vaccine was laced with family planning elements. It has been calling for independent tests to verify its safety.
This is the second time the Catholic Church has taken a strong stance against the government over vaccination.
Last year, the church also mounted a campaign against a tetanus programme among women of fertility age bracket, citing fears that the drugs contained an ingredient that induced miscarriage and sterility. The church alleged they were being used as a covert means of controlling the country's population.
However, the Kisii County government through Health Minister Sarah Omache has called on parents to support polio vaccination and take their children to nearby health centres for immunisation.
She wondered why innocent Kenyans were being misled on the polio vaccination saying it is important in preventing related deformities among children.
“We are targeting 292, 490 children in Kisii County who are below the age of five years. There is no problem or side effect discovered related to the polio vaccination. Therefore, parents should ignore any calls dispelling the campaign aimed at salvaging the health of their children,” she appealed.
Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital Director Dr Enock Ondari, confirmed a total of 50,000 children have been immunised in the facility since the nationwide polio immunisation campaign begun on Saturday.