Kenyas Deputy Presidenct William Ruto joined President Museveni yesterday for the commissioning of the Biological Drugs and mRNA (Messenger Rigonucliec Acid) vaccine facility in Matuga, Wakiso District, that will make vaccines readily available in the country.
According to Ms Lindah Nabusayi, the senior presidential press secretary, the facility is under the Dei Group, a factory that deals in pharmaceuticals, research and value addition on produce.
The President was in company of Dr William Ruto, the deputy president of Kenya, Dr Yonas Tegega Woldemariam, the World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative, and an adviser at Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Prof Sarfaraz Niaz, among others.
Dr Monica Musenero, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, who is also a senior presidential adviser, said the facility is a private initiative which will manufacture modern vaccines.
According to experts, mRNA vaccines don’t use live virus to trigger an immune response but instead teach the cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response.
Dr Musenero yesterday said if all goes well, the country should start manufacturing the vaccines in six months.
“Funding has been secured …and technical people from abroad have been in the country, shipment of equipment is going to begin. If everything goes well, within six months, we should be able to start supplying Ugandans with some vaccines. Another vaccine manufacturing unit vaccine unit will be set up soon,” Dr Musenero said.