The Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has revealed that Kenya has begun constructing a filling plant for COVID-19 vaccines.

Kenya will therefore start manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines in collaboration with other pharmaceutical firms.

The move is aimed at beefing up the ongoing vaccination drive that is suffering supply hitches.

Mutahi who revealed the information in an internal vaccination blueprint also said that a fully-fledged vaccine manufacturing plant will be built by 2024.

The plant, which will act as a fill and finish facility will help third parties put the vaccine from main manufacturers into vials and syringes, sealing and packaging them up for dispatch to various destinations.

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Mutahi said the government has embarked on the local manufacture of the COVID-19 vaccines by establishing the fill and finish facility to improve Kenya’s vaccine supply security.

The facility was established through strategic partnerships and technological transfer with foreign Kenyan allies.

“To improve our vaccine supply security, the government has embarked on the local manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines starting with the establishment of a fill-and finish facility through strategic partnerships and technological transfer,” Mutahi said.

The CS also said Kenya aims to start local production during the first quarter of 2022 and attain the full capability to manufacture human vaccines by 2024.

For Kenya to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines, it will have to secure partnerships with vaccine patent holders.

Other African countries in talks with investors for the same venture include Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa.