Kenya can manufacture its own medicines, KEHPHPU boss says

Despite having some of East Africa’s best-trained medical experts, Kenya continues to rely heavily on imported medicines, a situation that Brown Ashira Olaly, Secretary General and CEO of the Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners’ Union (KEHPHPU), says can change with proper investment and infrastructure.

Speaking in an interview with Radio Generation on Tuesday, Ashira highlighted the country’s untapped potential in medicine manufacturing.

“As a country,we are really trying and I think we overrelied on medicines from from outside,” he said.

Ashira stressed that Kenya possesses a wealth of skilled professionals, trained at top institutions like the University of Nairobi and Kenya Medical Training Colleges.

“If there’s any country in East Africa that has the best brains in terms of medicine and public health, is in Kenya,” he added.

He explained that the production of medicines, including vaccines, is a highly scientific process that cannot be approached like a typical business.

“Production of vaccines or other medicine is a scientific process. It is not really something that you can do like business. It is something that it undergoes a certain series of processes before a drug is certified,” Ashira said.

This process, he noted, demands both precision and significant resources to ensure medicines are safe and effective.

While acknowledging that Kenya is on the right path, Ashira warned that expanding local production requires substantial investment in infrastructure and technology.

“We are on a good roadmap, but we love to invest a lot. This requires a lot of money because it’s not a cheap process. It’s actually a very expensive process, but nevertheless we have to go that direction because we have an option, right?” he said.

Ashira emphasized that the country’s skilled workforce and strong training institutions provide a solid foundation for growth.

He urged both the government and private investors to prioritize the development of local medicine manufacturing, not only to reduce reliance on imports but also to ensure timely access to essential drugs for all Kenyans.

According to Ashira, Kenya has the capacity to produce vaccines, essential medicines, and other critical health products.

With targeted investment, improved facilities, and strategic planning, Kenya according to KEHPHPU could become a self-reliant hub for medicine in the region, benefiting both public health and the economy.