MPs ratify pact to establish vaccine institute

MPs have approved the ratification of the treaty on the establishment of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), thus facilitating Kenya’s integration into a network of vaccine producers, consortia and health researchers

Parliament yesterday adopted the Report of the Departmental Committee on Health on its consideration of the Agreement on the Establishment of the IVI.

Endebess MP Robert Pukose, who chairs the National Assembly’s departmental committee on health said Kenya will greatly benefit from IVI membership as it will enable knowledge transfer, and capacity building in biotechnology and vaccine production. “This is crucial as vaccine research, development, and field research are catalysts to the attainment to Universal Health Coverage (UHC),” said Dr Pukose.

The IVI is a non-profit international organization, established on May 12, 1997, as an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Rooted in the conviction that the health of children in developing countries can be significantly enhanced through the development, introduction, and widespread use of improved vaccines, IVI is dedicated to advance global health through vaccination.

The institute’s core mission is to discover, develop, and distribute safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for the betterment of global public health.

Pukose stressed the importance of technical and hands-on training across vaccine development and production processes, disease surveillance, biopharmaceutical manufacturing, biosafety, and good manufacturing practices. “These skills are essential for realising UHC objectives and fostering economic growth,” he explained.

Pukose projected that Kenya’s membership in IVI would promote knowledge transfer, enabling self-sufficiency by positioning Kenya as a vaccine producer in the region.

The strategic move, he said, would not only benefit Kenya but also create revenue streams by supplying vaccines to neighbouring countries. “We must be in the forefront in having our institute, Biovax, that can manufacture for us our vaccines, not just for outbreaks, but also for the infectious diseases and, more so, among the children.”

Pukose added that Kenya’s existing capability in vaccine production for animals through the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute, indicating vaccine production is not a new phenomenon for Kenya.

Pukose underscored its critical role in supporting the functions of Kenya Biovax Institute and the Kenya Medical Research Institute, two Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies under the Ministry of Health.