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Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Jkuat) has entered into  a deal with Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) that will see the two institutions partner in the development of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Director General-Kemri, Yeri Kombe said that the two research-based institutions will henceforth be involved in shared innovative undertakings.

“Kemri and Jkuat have been involved in various innovations during the Covid pandemic.

We want to marry these great minds and I can assure that what we come out of this collaboration will be more than what we individually have been generating,” said Kombe. 

He said while the university has been actively innovating hand sanitisers, face masks, contact tracing machines among other things, Kemri has on the other hand been in a race to develop Covid-19 vaccine with a possible candidate vaccine prototype expected by the end of the month.

Speaking yesterday after signing a memorandum of understanding between the two institutions, Kombe stated that the partnership will also see the training and mentorship of doctoral students in research areas.

The two institutions are also expected to pull and solicit resources in a joint venture for the innovative and research undertakings.

The university VC Victoria Ngumi said the collaboration will see Jkuat’s health, pure and applied sciences and engineering students venture into research that could culminate to generation of solutions for many challenges.