Vaccinations, Pills, and Resistance: School Health Campaigns in Kenya During the COVID Pandemic

Ethnographic fieldwork in rural western Kenya (2022-2023) reveals how state-led public health interventions, including COVID-19 vaccination and school-based biomedical campaigns, operate through authority, hierarchy, and coercion. Such practices foster mistrust among pupils, adolescents, and parents, provoking resistance grounded in fears about reproductive futures. Health workers and teachers, pressured to meet state mandated targets, become enforcers of these interventions, often deepening suspicion. Coercion not only raises ethical concerns but also produces lasting harm, shaping community trust and influencing how children and families engage with health care systems long after the campaigns have ended.