Kenya is expected to spend Ksh121 billion ($1.06 billion) more on enhanced Covid-19 vaccination in the next financial year as it gears up to set the trend in the post-pandemic recovery within the East African region.

The details are contained in a draft budget statement which will this year come early in March to free other funds for the General Election due in August.

Besides the vaccination funds, the country had already set plans to operationalise the Kenya Biovax Limited to ‘form and fill’ and eventually manufacture her own Covid-19 vaccine by the Easter of 2022.

The allocation is meant to facilitate 100 percent Covid-19 vaccination rollout among Kenyans in a bid to attain the macroeconomic objectives.

The vaccination campaign is a gradual step in the war against the pandemic – moving from the purchase of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) that was employed at the initial stages of the pandemic.

The 2022-2023 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) document is currently before parliament.

The BPS shows that during the 2022/23 financial year, Kenya will spend Ksh3.31 trillion ($29 billion) in the budget to be read in parliament mid next month as it readies for the general election on August 9, 2022.

The BPS is a policy document that sets out the broad strategic priorities and policy goals for the country to guide the national and county governments in preparing their budgets for the financial year.

The East Africa Community (EAC) treaty requires all its member states to read their budgets simultaneously.

Harmonisation of the budget presentation helps the member states in the timely implementation of EAC projects such as infrastructure and energy.

It also takes away the possibility of governments applying punitive tax measures against other member states.

However, with Kenya’s election on August 9, 2022, it means a deviation from this treaty that is in line with the Public Finance Management Act.

Other than Covid-19 vaccinations, at least Ksh40 billion ($351 million) is required by Kenya's electoral agency—the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)—to conduct this year’s general election.

This means that Kenya’s budget will be the first to be read and therefore setting the trend for the post Covid-19 financing regime within the EAC region and possibly beyond.