ByKen Muthomi- Reporter
Kenya, July 2, 2026 – The Japanese government has committed KSh3 billion to bolster Kenya’s local vaccine manufacturing agenda through the Ministry of Health, aiming to improve the resilience of the country’s healthcare system. In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Health said the funds will be channelled through the State Department for Medical Services and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).The funds are set to strengthen vaccine research and manufacturing capacity through investment in modern research infrastructure and specialised skills development.The development was revealed during a meeting on Thursday between Principal Secretary for Medical Services Ouma Oluga and the Japan–Kenya Joint Technical Working Group (TWG), alongside the Chargé d’Affaires of Japan, Hori Tomonobu.The meeting was aimed at reviewing progress under the Kenya–Japan health cooperation framework, focusing on local pharmaceutical manufacturing, regulatory cooperation and health research.“The Principal Secretary also welcomed progress towards implementing the Reliance Process to facilitate expedited regulatory review of medicines approved in Japan,” the Ministry stated.“This is alongside initiatives to strengthen pharmaceutical regulatory harmonisation, combat substandard and falsified medical products, and strengthen Kenya’s pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem,” it added.For many years, countries across Africa have relied on vaccines produced outside the continent. That dependence proved deadly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as surging global demand left lower-income countries consistently among the last to receive vaccines.Kenya has in the recent past ramped up efforts to ensure that it locally produces vaccines by 2027 to reduce heavy reliance on imports.In February, the country joined a global programme that will enable the country to manufacture its own vaccines locally, reducing its reliance on health products imported from abroad.The World Health Organization (WHO) and Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) mRNA Technology Transfer Project was launched in Nairobi and aims to enable the country to produce vaccines for routine immunization, malaria, tuberculosis, and potential pandemics.Kenya is one of six African countries that were selected to participate in the programme, which is supported by a South African manufacturing consortium and now spans 15 partner institutions across six WHO regions worldwide.Through the arrangement, the Kenya BioVax Institute will receive end-to-end training and technical support, covering the full process from research and development through to large-scale vaccine production. Infrastructure at the Institute’s Embakasi facility is being upgraded to support the project, and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) will contribute its scientific expertise as a key research partner.
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