Vulnerability and childhood immunization in Kenya. A systematic review of policy documents protocol

Introduction: Whereas improved full immunization coverage for childhood vaccines have been witnessed globally in the past decades, countries in sub-Saharan Africa have registered slow progress, with variations between and within countries. This has been attributed to several factors including socio-economic, individual and health system vulnerabilities. However, lacking is a documentation of how governments are conceptualizing and addressing these vulnerabilities. We therefore plan to systematically review policy documents to examine the extent to which vulnerability issues are conceptualized and addressed in the general health sector and immunization policy documents in Kenya. Methods: The review will focus on the general health sector and immunization policy documents covering the period between 2000 and 2023. Documents in the English language will be reviewed. Data sources will include the official Ministry of Health website, websites of key international organizations working on immunization, checking reference lists of already identified documents, general Google searches and requesting relevant documents from stakeholders and officials. Data synthesis will follow an inductive approach, and findings will be presented in a descriptive format according to the review objectives. Discussion: We will assess the extent to which vulnerability issues are included and how they are defined in the general health sector and immunization policy documents. In addition, the review will examine strategies proposed, planned and/or implemented to promote access and uptake of immunization services in Kenya. Using the review findings, we will formulate recommendations to share with health and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) stakeholders at the national, county, and sub-county levels.