The Kapetwa Health Centre worker who administered a vaccine after which two children died on Tuesday was not qualified, the Health ministry has said.
Jepchumba Kemboi and Brian Kimutai "developed complications, convulsed and died immediately" after they were vaccinated in Kotut village, Marakwet East subcounty, the ministry said.
Medical services director Nicholas Muraguri further said the vaccine "was stored in a domestic fridge which was used to store laboratory reagents".
"At the time of the adverse reaction to the vaccine administration, emergency care drugs were not available," he added in a statement to newsrooms on Wednesday.
"This is against the standard procedure while providing any medical care during outreach and within health facilities."
Muraguri noted that the vaccine batch from which the children's dose was obtained was the same as what was distributed to depots countrywide in January.
Noting that the batch has been in use since then, he said "no adverse event related to this lot of measles vaccine had been reported" since then.
He said preliminary investigations indicated it was unlikely that the quality of the vaccine was questionable.
Muraguri said the ministry sent a team of vaccine pharmacovigilince experts to help the county's officers conduct thorough investigations.
"The team will conduct postmortem on the children and draw blood samples for toxicology analysis," he said.
He further said they will investigate the circumstances under which a support member of staff carried out immunisation services.
"They will collect the suspect vaccine vials and all others at the facility for further testing at the ministry's headquarters," he added.
Noting that the "vaccine and storage and administration procedures were contravened", Muraguri asked health workers to stick to set standards and procedures.
He assured that all vaccines used underwent rigorous quality and safety assurance tests and are safe.
Parents and caregivers should continue utilising routine immunisation services, he added.
Muraguri said the two children, aged nine months, were vaccinated alongside seven others, who received oral polio vaccines.
He said the seven did not show any signs of adverse reactions but were rushed to Chesongoch Health Centre for observation.
He said they were discharged in good health four hours later.
On Tuesday, MP Bowen Kangogo said the incident indicates that county governments lack the capacity to manage heath services.
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