Kenya banks on local manufacture of anti-malaria commodities and drugs in war against disease

Kenya might soon begin local manufacturing f malaria control commodities and medicines in an effort to help eliminate the disease in the country.

It has emerged that conditions issued by donors that require countries to go for a global tender even when some of the products are being manufactured locally has locked out many potential suppliers of the same.

Similarly, the process by which the World Health Organisation gives approvals and the process by which the agency takes in order for them to approve a commodity is too vigorous that some of Kenyans are unable to meet those standards.

The Health Ministry is now appealing to the donor community and the WHO to fast track areas where local manufacturers can be assisted and given priority, noting that unless Kenya relies on herself through local manufacture the country will continue to be challenged.

“Take the current issue of vaccines, it is not that we don’t have the money to buy the vaccines but the vaccines are still not available to us because obviously the countries making those vaccines will give priority to national interests  before they ever come to us,” Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.

The CS spoke on Wednesday during the unveiling and inauguration of the End End Malaria Council and Fund in Nairobi.

The council has been tasked with supporting advocacy, action, accountability and resource mobilization efforts to address Kenya’s pressing malaria priorities at national, regional and county level.

It will be chaired by Christopher Getonga with Dr Willis Akhwale serving as the council secretary.

Other members include Radio Africa Group CEO Patrick Quarcoo, Kisumu county First Lady Dorothy Nyong'o, Beatrice Maingi, Eva Muthuri, Issac Maluki, Matilu Mwau, Jacinta Wasike, Joyce Momanyi and Roneek Vora.

President Uhuru Kenyatta who is the chairman of the Africa leaders malaria alliance had called for establishment of the council to champion malaria control and elimination.

The council was appointed on January 15 by the health CS.

"I will do all within my powers to raise resources towards the control efforts in Kenya from all sectors of the economy. I will also provide the necessary leadership towards ensuring the local manufacturing of malaria control commodities like bed nets and medicines to ensure we sustain our economy," council Chairperson Getonga said in his acceptance speech.

According to Kagwe, one of the challenges encountered during the covid-19 pandemic was securing of essential health commodities including malaria diagnostics, treatments and vector control tools in a timely manner especially for those being manufactured outside the country.

“By promoting local manufacturing we shall reduce reliance on foreign manufactured malaria supplies, ensure economic development as well as easy access and timely delivery of these essential commodities to the populations at risk of malaria,” the CS said.

He added: “Whenever you order a million nets to be manufactured outside Kenya and be brought into the country you have just exported some 5,000 jobs and if there is one thing I know we need in this country is jobs.”

At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the WHO had predicted a doubling of malaria deaths with severe disruptions to insecticides, treated bed nets campaigns and access to anti malaria medicines. The CS said effort from the ministry saw the situation averted.

Over the decades, Kenya has seen remarkable progress in fighting malaria.

With every four out of five households in Kenya covered with mosquito nets and more than five million malaria cases treated on annual basis.

Head of Division of National Malaria Programme at the ministry Dr George Githuka malaria mortality rate in Kenya has declined by 46 per cent since 2000 but the disease remains a threat to more than 36 million people at high risk of infection.

He noted that Kenya faces a Sh24 billion resource gap under the malaria strategy; Sh6 billion annually over a period of four years.

Data from the World Malaria Report indicates that more than 200 million people contracted malaria in 2018, with the disease claiming 380,000 lives.

Malaria is a leading killer of children younger than five years in Kenya and claims the life of one child every two minutes.

According to CDC, there are an estimated 3.5 million new clinical cases and 10,700 deaths annually.

The disease is transmitted by the female anopheles mosquito. Symptoms include chills, fever and sweating usually occurring within 10 days to four weeks after being bitten.

Other people may experience fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fast heart rate, headache, mental confusion or pale skin and if not treated with urgency can be fatal

Some of the counties with high malaria prevalence  include Homa Bay, Kilifi, Mombasa, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Vihiga, Kakamega and Bungoma.