Kenya gives your child free protection against twelve serious diseases before their second birthday. This guide sets out the full national schedule, what changes in Garissa County, and what to do if your child has fallen behind.
The KEPI schedule at a glance
Kenya’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (KEPI) runs seven visits from birth to 18 months, with one more at age 10 for girls. Every vaccine below is free at all immunising facilities, public and private.
| Age | Vaccines given | Protects against |
|---|---|---|
| At birth | BCG, OPV 0 | Tuberculosis, polio |
| 6 weeks | OPV 1, Pentavalent 1, PCV10 1, Rotavirus 1 | Polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, Hib, pneumonia, severe diarrhoea |
| 10 weeks | OPV 2, Pentavalent 2, PCV10 2, Rotavirus 2 | Second dose of the above |
| 14 weeks | OPV 3, Pentavalent 3, PCV10 3, IPV | Third dose, plus injectable polio vaccine |
| 6 months | Vitamin A | Immunity and eye health, repeated every 6 months to age 5 |
| 9 months | Measles-Rubella 1 | Measles, rubella |
| 18 months | Measles-Rubella 2 | Booster dose |
| 10 years (girls) | HPV, single dose | Cervical cancer |
Why the timing matters more than people think
The gaps between doses are not administrative. A baby is born with some protection borrowed from their mother, and it fades over the first months of life. The 6, 10 and 14 week visits are timed to build the child’s own immunity as that borrowed protection disappears.
This is why whooping cough and pneumonia are most dangerous in the first months, and why a delayed 6 week visit leaves a real gap rather than simply shifting the timetable. If you can only keep one appointment on time, keep that one.
What is different in Garissa County
Two points are specific to this region and are often missed in national guides.
The malaria vaccine is not part of the routine schedule here
Kenya’s malaria vaccine programme covers the lake-endemic counties of Kisumu, Kakamega, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Busia, Bungoma and Vihiga. Garissa is not among them, because malaria transmission in this region is low and seasonal rather than year-round. If you have moved here from western Kenya and your child started the malaria vaccine series there, bring the card and speak to a clinician about what applies now.
Garissa is classified a high-risk county for yellow fever
Yellow fever vaccine is not part of the routine national childhood schedule. However, Garissa is one of the counties the Ministry of Health classifies as high risk, alongside Wajir, Marsabit, Turkana and others, and vaccination campaigns may be run here in response to an outbreak. If a campaign is announced, take it seriously. Ask at your facility rather than assuming your child is already covered.
HPV is now a single dose
This changed recently and many older guides are still wrong. Kenya moved from a two-dose to a single-dose HPV schedule in November 2025, following WHO advice that one dose gives equally durable protection against the strains that cause cervical cancer.
The vaccine is offered to girls at age 10. Cervical cancer is among the leading causes of cancer death in Kenyan women, and this single injection is the most effective prevention available. If your daughter is 10 or older and has not had it, she can still receive it.
If your child has missed doses
A missed dose is not a lost cause, and you do not start again from the beginning. The schedule is resumed from where it stopped.
- Under 12 months: remaining pentavalent, PCV, polio and rotavirus doses can usually be completed, though rotavirus has an upper age limit and may no longer be given.
- Over 12 months: BCG, pentavalent, PCV and measles-rubella can still be caught up. Rotavirus cannot.
- Any age: bring the child and the card. A clinician will work out what is still due.
Do not delay a visit because you are embarrassed about the gap. Health workers see this every day, particularly in families who move with livestock or who have travelled. Nobody will scold you.
If you have lost the immunisation card
Go back to the facility that gave the last dose, as they keep a register and can often reconstruct the record. If that is not possible, tell the clinician what you remember and roughly when. Where the record cannot be confirmed, the safe approach is to treat the child as unimmunised and restart, because an extra dose is far less risky than a missing one.
Side effects: what is normal and what is not
Most reactions are mild and settle within a day or two.
Expected and not a cause for concern: a mild fever, a sore or slightly swollen injection site, a fussy or sleepy child for a day, and a small sore at the BCG site that may take weeks to heal and can leave a scar. That BCG sore is normal.
Seek medical attention the same day if your child has:
- Difficulty breathing, or swelling of the face, lips or tongue
- A fit or convulsion
- A fever above 39C that does not come down
- Unusual floppiness, or being very difficult to wake
- Continuous high-pitched crying for more than three hours
- Injection-site swelling that keeps growing, or spreads with heat and redness
Serious reactions are rare. The risk from the diseases these vaccines prevent is very much higher than the risk from the vaccines themselves.
What to bring to the visit
- The child’s immunisation card, every time, even for an unrelated appointment
- The mother-child health booklet if you have it
- A note of any reaction to a previous dose
- A note of any long-term illness or medicine the child takes
Common questions
Is immunisation free in Kenya?
Yes. All vaccines in the national schedule are provided free at immunising facilities, including private ones. A facility may charge a consultation fee for other services, but not for the vaccine itself.
Can my child be vaccinated with a cold?
Usually yes. A mild cough, cold or low fever is not a reason to postpone. A child who is seriously unwell should be assessed first, and the clinician will decide.
Can vaccines be given during Ramadan?
Yes. Injections and oral vaccines do not break the fast, and in any case children of vaccination age are not fasting. There is no religious reason to delay a child’s immunisation.
What if we are travelling or moving?
Vaccination continues anywhere in Kenya. Carry the card and any facility can pick up the schedule from where it stopped. The same applies if you return from Somalia, Ethiopia or elsewhere in the region.
Does my child need extra vaccines to travel?
Possibly. Yellow fever vaccination is required for entry to some countries and is recommended for parts of this region. Speak to a clinician well before you travel, as some vaccines need time to take effect.
Speak to our paediatric team
Our paediatricians at Garissa Doctors Plaza can review your child’s immunisation card, work out what is still due, advise on catch-up after a gap or a move, and see your child if you are worried about a reaction or a missed milestone.
Book an appointment, or call +254 796 786 279. Reception answers 24 hours.
This article is general health information for families in Garissa County and northern Kenya. It is not a substitute for being seen. The national schedule is set by Kenya’s Ministry of Health and may change; confirm current guidance with your health facility. Last reviewed August 2026.
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