Partnership between Kenya and Japan facilitates production of local vaccines, planned by 2027

Kenya is making significant strides in the realm of vaccine production, with ambitious plans to start local production by 2027. This move, aimed at securing health resilience and reducing reliance on external suppliers, has been met with international support.

The journey began with Kenya's delegation touring the Japan Institute for Health Security and the National Center for Global Health & Medicine. This exchange of knowledge was seen as a valuable step towards building a robust health security framework, a priority that aligns with Japan's expertise and commitment.

The Kenya BioVax Institute, with backing from the World Bank, is gearing up to commence operations. The Institute has already taken an increasingly visible role in global conversations on vaccine production. However, questions remain about Kenya's ability to expand beyond limited-scale production and compete with well-established manufacturers in Asia and South Africa.

To address these challenges, Kenya is focusing on more than just building factories. The approach extends to political commitment, community involvement, and innovative collaborations. In 2024, the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) partnered with the Ministry of Health in Kenya to establish a regional office in Nairobi and coordinate the "Advancing Vaccine End-to-End Capabilities" project.

Experts emphasise the need for strong regulatory structures, reliable supply chains, highly trained personnel, and the capacity to meet international quality standards. Local manufacturing, officials argue, would relieve fiscal pressures while positioning Kenya as a supplier to the wider East African region.

The announcement for local vaccine production was made at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) also convened a discussion on the "Africa-Japan Common Vision on Health."

Kenya's vaccine manufacturing plans are not limited to vaccines alone. Plans also include the production of biotherapeutics, including insulin and antivenoms. A feasibility study for a "smart vaccine manufacturing facility" was delivered in 2025.

As the countdown to 2027 begins, the challenge for Kenya will be turning ambitious plans into practical results. Initial production will focus on typhoid and pneumococcal vaccines, and will later expand to include cholera, Ebola, and routine immunizations like polio, tetanus, and Hepatitis B.

Kenya currently spends around Sh 8 billion annually to meet its vaccine needs, with the government contributing roughly KES 4 billion and donors contributing about KES 32 billion. The move towards local production is seen as a strategic step towards reducing this financial burden and enhancing Kenya's resilience in the face of potential supply disruptions.

Kenya's ambitions for local vaccine production align with the Africa CDC's target of producing 60 percent of Africa's vaccines locally by 2040. As Kenya embarks on this journey, the focus will be on translating vision into action, building a robust health security framework, and contributing to regional health resilience.