Former Kesses MP Swarup Mishra has officially taken over as chairman of the board of Kenya Biovax Institute Limited, with his first pledge to ensure that Kenya meets its target of producing its first locally manufactured human vaccines by the end of 2026.
Speaking shortly after his predecessor, Mugo Kibati, handed over the reins, Dr Mishra said the country will be able to produce its own human vaccines by 2026 because of the level of investment the government and partners have made in the facility.
Mr Kibati revealed that the facility, located in Embakasi, Nairobi County, has received about Sh10 billion from the World Bank, which will be used to complete the enabling works and then the manufacturing process.
“This is our parting gift to the incoming chair and the board…I would hope that by 2026, we should have a complete facility,” Mr Kibati said.
Dr Mishra assured the outgoing board that he would work with his team to ensure that construction is completed on or before 2026 and that the country can start producing its own human vaccines.
He explained that the success of the facility will not only benefit the country's health sector, but also the region.
“Kenya will be the only country in Africa to be self-sufficient to manufacture pharmaceuticals, surgical, disposables and high-end products, both preventive and curative,” Dr Mishra said.
According to Dr Mishra, the country is in a better position not only to produce vaccines but also to lead the region in modern cancer treatment called CAR-T cell therapy.
This is a type of treatment in which a patient's T-cells (a type of immune system cell) are modified in the laboratory to attack cancer cells.
“If we are doing in vitro fertilisation (IVF), kidney transplant, liver transplant and all those, why not gene therapy, and then stem cell therapy? We can achieve this,” said Dr Mishra.
The former MP added that the completion of the facility would contribute to the success of the Universal Health Care programme, which is one of the government's priorities.
Biovax CEO Michael Lusiola said the facility had made progress with the outgoing board, which came in during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are working with partners to develop the facility. We are working with technology partners to get the vaccines themselves and we are working with funding partners, including the World Bank, to help us to get this project going forward,” Dr Lusiola said.
He urged the new board to ensure that President William Ruto’s development goal of establishing Kenya as a healthcare hub for the region is achieved.
