CS Mutahi Kagwe hints at Kenya’s plan to ease Covid control measures

 

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe in a past interview [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

The Ministry of Health has hinted at plans to review Covid- 19 containment measures in the next few days.

According to Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, relaxation and review of the measures are based on scientific advice in regard to spread of the disease and the country’s preparedness in managing the pandemic.

In an interview with The Standard, the CS said Kenya is currently reporting low positivity rate, and that the population seems to have developed herd immunity.

Since outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, he said the ministry has been guided by science and evidence as per Kenya’s infections rate and not what is happening in other countries.

“We are not doing what everybody is doing. We are getting details on hospitalisation, expected hospitalisation, oxygen supply and if it is properly done, and not just waking up to say you want to do what others are doing,” he said. “Let’s have confidence in ourselves, let us make decision based on our own.”

Mr Kagwe also gave reasons why Moderna has decided to set up a vaccine manufacturing plant in Kenya.

He said that though the American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company is privately owned, it will address the vaccine problems in Kenya and across the globe.

The investor selected Kenya because of good relations with the US, political stability and availability of experts.

These factors were listed during a meeting with Moderna executives, prior to the signing of the agreement.

The Health CS said the investor is expected to conduct an inspection to establish where the plant will be set up.

“Moderna is a private company and is investing in Kenya as a private company. The role of the government is essentially to create a more enabling environment for them,” said Mr Kagwe.

“The production capacity being created in Kenya is not just about Kenya, but it is being a centre of pharmaceutical products for the world.”

He added: “I have assured Moderna that if there is any delays, that will be on their part, not ours. It will be as soon as possible.” 

However, the government has to ensure that bureaucracy does not hamper progress.

“The role as Ministry of Health is to fast track and ensure these investments come to Kenya, but in terms of shareholding, this is a private company,” he said. 

Kenya, according to the CS, Kenya is also among six African countries that had been selected to pioneer vaccine manufacturing.

World Health Organisation (WHO) had selected Kenya, Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria and Tunisia as potential countries to receive equipment needed to produce messenger RNA vaccines.

But on Monday, Moderna announced that it had entered into a partnership with Kenya to set up the Moderna manufacturing plant in the country.

The company announced that the facility will focus on drug subsistence manufacturing, and it will be expanded to have fill and finish capabilities.

The Messenger RNA (mRNA) innovation will impact the continent positively as it will also have vaccines programmes for HIV and Aids.

Covid-19 Vaccine Taskforce chair Dr Willis Akhwale said that the mRNA technology will address the challenge of variants.

Akhwale said with mRNA, once the cause of mutation is identified, it is easier to tweak the vaccine, and address it effectively.

Akhwale added that Kenya has adequate expertise in vaccine manufacturing, having started with veterinary vaccines in the late 1990s, through Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute.

The institute, he said, produces vaccines at its Embakasi and Kabete units, and they are supplied across Africa.

Kenya and the entire continent have been lagging behind when it comes to vaccinating citizens.

As per available data, only 28 per cent of Kenyans have been fully vaccinated even as other developed countries are administering their third and fourth shots.