A disturbing case has caught the attention of many Kenyans after a parent shared on social media that her 4-year-old son had a serious reaction to a vaccine given at school without her consent.
According to the post shared by Maverick Aoko on July 11, 2025, the child became very weak, started shivering, refused to eat, developed a high fever, and later experienced convulsions.
The boy had to be rushed to hospital and was admitted. The mother claimed she had no idea her child was to be vaccinated and only found out after the reaction started showing.
Her emotional message, written partly in English and Swahili, left many parents shocked and angry, especially those with children in public schools.
This incident has caused an online uproar with parents demanding answers. Many who responded to the post shared their anger at schools going ahead with vaccinations without getting permission from parents.
Some said they had already refused to allow their children to be vaccinated through school programs, fearing similar outcomes. Others even linked the incident to conspiracy theories and past fears around global vaccine campaigns.
One user claimed a relative’s child died after being vaccinated, though there was no proof that the two were related.
Some parents mentioned they saw stories on TikTok about schools allowing vaccines without informing families first. A few even went as far as saying they will teach their children not to accept any injections at school.
The problem at the center of this story is consent. Parents want to be told and to agree before anything is done to their children, especially something medical like a vaccination. Schools and health officials need to ensure that communication is clear, and no child is vaccinated without the knowledge and approval of their guardian. While it is widely known that vaccines help prevent many deadly diseases, the way they are given also matters.
Any mistake or lack of transparency risks shaking public trust, even in programs that are meant to protect.
There are also growing concerns that some parents are turning away from vaccines altogether, relying on unproven traditional methods because they feel unsafe or uninformed. Some people even posted images online showing babies being bathed in herbs, claiming this was a better way to fight disease.
Whether or not these alternatives work, it’s clear that trust in health systems is starting to weaken.
The Ministry of Health and education officials now face the task of responding to this case and preventing similar incidents.
Parents need assurance that their rights will be respected and that their children’s safety is not being taken for granted. What happened to this 4-year-old may be just one case, but it has sparked a conversation that is growing louder each hour.
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