Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has revealed that the headquarters of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) will be hosted in Kenya following a successful bidding process.
Nakhumicha made the announcement during a meeting with the Departmental Committee on Health at the Parliamentary Buildings on Thursday.
This came after the CS participated in the Africa Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2nd High-level Ministers for Health forum, MELP 2024, held on the sidelines of the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
She reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to vaccine manufacturing with a strategic focus on vaccines targeting childhood, adolescent girls, and maternal immunization to address public health challenges.
The CS further assured of high-quality healthcare for all citizens through Universal Health Coverage (UHC) initiatives.
Nakhumicha also outlined progress in UHC, including reforms such as renaming NHIF to SHIF and enacting new health laws.
She urged Parliament to allocate resources to agencies involved in the implementation of UHC.
The Ministry of Health has already gazetted a transition committee to oversee changes in the new health scheme.
The ten-member Committee chaired by Jason Kap-Kirwok, is mandated to ensure a seamless transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority
