Nairobi — Kenya has started the process of becoming a member of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI).
This is after Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua on Thursday handed over a letter of intent to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Director-General Jerome Kim at a meeting chaired by President William Ruto in Seoul, South Korea.
President Ruto during the meeting said Kenya will follow the membership process because there is a lot to gain for the country and the region.
In addition, the President said Kenya will work with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), IVI and other institutions in the production of pharmaceuticals and development of vaccines.
"We want to develop vaccines in Kenya that is why we started the Kenya Biovax Institute as a vehicle for working with other stakeholders and institutions," President Ruto said.
Biovax is a state cooperation tasked with the mandate of manufacturing packaging and commercialization of specialized health products and technologies including vaccines and therapeutics.