Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro Calls for Local Production of Medicines and Medical Devices to Strengthen Kenya’s Health Security

Taifa leo news 

Kasuku David 

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro has called for a major shift towards local production of medicines, diagnostics, medical devices and other essential health products, saying Kenya must reduce its dependence on imports and build a self-reliant health manufacturing ecosystem.

Speaking as the keynote speaker during a health-sector session, Mung’aro said investment in biomedical and industrial manufacturing should be viewed as both a health-security priority and an economic opportunity capable of creating jobs, advancing research and strengthening national resilience.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities created by excessive dependence on imported health products, particularly when global supply chains were disrupted and countries competed for essential supplies.

> “A country that cannot secure essential health products cannot fully secure the health of its people,” Mung’aro said.

The governor said Kenya has already invested in research institutions, universities, regulatory agencies, manufacturers and healthcare supply systems, but the country needs to connect these components into one functioning ecosystem.

“Health products and technologies must be understood as one connected national ecosystem, from research and innovation through regulation, manufacturing, procurement and distribution to the patient at the last mile,” he said.

Mung’aro said the country’s challenge was no longer simply about having institutions capable of conducting research or manufacturing products, but ensuring that innovations move successfully from laboratories to the market and ultimately reach patients.

“Our challenge is that these parts do not always operate as one continuous pathway,” he said, noting that promising research can remain in laboratories, manufacturers can face uncertain demand, while regulatory processes may sometimes take longer than innovation cycles.

He said Kenya should aspire to a system where a product developed by a Kenyan scientist can be tested, regulated, manufactured at scale, procured sustainably and eventually used to save a life in any county.

> “The future we must build is one in which an idea developed by a Kenyan scientist can be validated, regulated, manufactured at scale, procured sustainably, and used to save a life in any county,” he said.

The governor also challenged national and county governments to strengthen collaboration, saying counties have an important role to play in creating an enabling environment for investment.

According to Mung’aro, counties can provide land, infrastructure, skilled local labour and healthcare facilities while also creating demand for locally produced health products.

“Our vulnerability may be different, but our objective is one: to guarantee that every Kenyan has timely access to safe, effective and affordable health products,” he said.

Kilifi's emerging health manufacturing role

Mung’aro cited Kilifi as an example of how research, government and industry can work together to build a health manufacturing ecosystem.

He highlighted the Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, whose research in areas including malaria, pneumonia and health systems has contributed to policy and clinical practice in Kenya and beyond.

He also pointed to the Vital Healthcare EPZ, which he said has developed capacity to manufacture approximately 2.1 billion medical devices annually and up to 20 million rapid diagnostic tests every month.

Mung’aro further highlighted the establishment of a liquid medical oxygen plant in Kilifi, with a production capacity of about 13 tonnes per day.

> “COVID-19 reminded us that oxygen is medicine, and that domestic production can become the difference between dependence and preparedness,” he said.

He said such investments should not benefit Kilifi alone, but should serve communities across Kenya and contribute to regional health security and African markets.

“These investments are not important only to the counties in which they are located. Their products can serve communities across Kenya, support regional emergency preparedness and supply markets throughout Africa,” he said.

Mung’aro rejects fragmented county strategies

The governor cautioned against developing separate pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing strategies for each of Kenya’s 47 counties.

> “We should not create 47 isolated healthcare and pharmaceutical strategies. We should build one national ecosystem in which counties contribute according to their comparative strengths and share in the resulting investment, jobs and improved access,” he said.

He said counties have different comparative advantages, with some having strong universities and research institutions, while others possess industrial parks, transport corridors, agricultural resources, technical expertise or established manufacturing capacity.

Mung’aro urged the national government to use these strengths to develop a coordinated national manufacturing strategy.

Call for predictable government procurement

The governor also called for reforms in research financing, regulation and public procurement to give local manufacturers confidence to invest and expand their operations.

He said research funding should go beyond scientific discovery and also support product development and commercialisation.

“Training institutions should respond to emerging needs in biotechnology, engineering, quality assurance, manufacturing and supply-chain management,” he said.

Mung’aro also called for efficient and predictable regulation while maintaining high standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

> “Regulatory reform must facilitate innovation without compromising the protection of patients,” he said.

He further urged national and county procurement systems to provide manufacturers with clear and predictable demand signals.

“Transparent purchasing, timely payments and appropriate procurement mechanisms for quality-assured local products can give investors the confidence to establish and expand production,” Mung’aro said.

Last-mile delivery remains critical

Mung’aro warned that local manufacturing alone would not solve Kenya’s health challenges unless products consistently reach health facilities and patients.

He challenged KEMSA and county supply systems to ensure essential products reach health facilities before shortages occur.

> “A product researched and manufactured in Kenya has not fulfilled its purpose until it reaches the health worker and patient who need it,” he said.

He added that the effectiveness of the entire health-products ecosystem should ultimately be measured at the last mile.

“The medicine must reach the dispenser, the diagnostic must reach the laboratory, the device must function in the facility, and the oxygen must reach the bedside,” he said.

Looking ahead, Mung’aro said Kenya should aim to manufacture a larger share of its essential medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, medical devices and other health products.

He said such a strategy would reduce exposure to global supply disruptions, conserve foreign exchange, create skilled employment for young Kenyans, promote technology transfer and strengthen research.

He also envisioned Kenya becoming a regional centre for health innovation and manufacturing, supplying not only the domestic market but other African countries.

> “Let us build a Kenya that does not wait for the world to supply every essential product, but one that possesses the confidence and capability to discover, regulate, manufacture and deliver for itself and for Africa,” Mung’aro said.

He said achieving that ambition would require a coordinated national plan with clear responsibilities for national government, counties, researchers, regulators, manufacturers, development partners, academia and the private sector.

He closed with a call for collective action, saying:

> “From the laboratory to the factory, and from the factory to the last mile. If we make it together, we can protect lives everywhere.”