Kenya is set to begin administering the second doses of the coronavirus vaccines on Friday, 28 May as the country continues its fight against the pandemic.

The East African country launched its mass COVID-19 vaccination drive on March 5 after receiving some 1.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and had inoculated 963,241 people by Thursday.

Kenya's vaccination drive has focused on groups considered to be at high risk, including health care workers and the elderly.

A break down given by the ministry showed that of the total vaccinations, 292,001 are people aged 58 years and above, 164,913 are health workers, 151,568 are teachers, while security Officers accounted for 81,309.

So far, Kenya has recorded 169,697 COVID-19 infections with 3,108 deaths.

The caseload is the seventh-highest in Africa while the death toll is the eighth-highest registered on the continent.

Health minister Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday urged relevant authorities to step up preparations ahead of an expected spike of the Indian coronavirus variant already detected in the country.

Other than the mass vaccination drive, the Kenyan government has also imposed various measures to contain the pandemic, including a nationwide nighttime curfew, a ban on large public gatherings and a mandatory wearing of face masks.