•Ministry of health CAS Mercy Mwangangi claimed the Sputnik V vaccine is not even available in Kenya yet.
•However, Syokimau-based importer Dinlas Pharmaceuticals said Sputnik is in Kenya and Ministry of Health officials know this.
Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo has given the Poisons board seven days to clarify on the Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine.
In a letter to the board on Wednesday, Otiende said the Pharmacy and Poisons Board tell Kenyans if the vaccine has been approved by WHO or any health organisation.
"When was the application for importation of the Sputnik V vaccine made? By whom was it made?" he posed.
Otiende asked if the entity was registered as a pharmacist in Kenya.
"Please provide proof of registration. When was the approval of the importation of the vaccine made? Pease provide minutes approving the importation," he posed.
"Was the approval of the Sputnik V vaccine for a specified quantity. If so, what was the quantity?"
He asked if there was any test conducted as to the efficacy of the vaccine and were these tests were conducted and by whom.
"Was the vaccine approved for use by the general public?" he posed.
Hospitals are halting Covid-19 vaccinations since supply has run out. Not all frontline workers have been inoculated.
Confirmation from the board will help other critical workers to get the vaccine.
Last week, Kenya's Pharmacy and Poisons Board confirmed approval for the emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine in Kenya after tests.
The Poisons board gave the emergency use authorization to AstraZeneca vaccine and the Sputnik V vaccine after a successful evaluation process.
"This is not a registration. The application for Emergency Use Authorization of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has been approved after it met all requirements," the board said.
"It is wholesomely safe. The Board continues to review the safety of all authorized products in the market," it said.
Ministry of health CAS Mercy Mwangangi claimed the Sputnik V vaccine is not even available in Kenya yet.
However, Syokimau-based importer Dinlas Pharmaceuticals said Sputnik is in Kenya and Ministry of Health officials know this.
According to an article published by Bloomberg, a single shot of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine costs Sh7,700, an amount that was confirmed by Nairobi-based lawyer Donald Kipkorir, who got an injection on Tuesday.
“Sputnik V got high reviews from medical journals and that is comforting for me,” another lawyer, Ahmednasir Abdullahi, said by text message.
“The West is hoarding vaccine it doesn’t need, but Russia has made it available to poor Third World countries like Kenya.”