Kenya Launches Five-Year Local Manufacturing Strategy to Reduce Pharmaceutical Import Dependence
Key Insights
Kenya launched the Health Products and Technologies Local Manufacturing Strategy 2026–2030 on 23 June 2026, aiming to expand domestic production of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and medical devices.
The country currently imports 70–80% of its pharmaceuticals, spending over USD 760 million annually on imports out of a USD 1.2 billion market.
The strategy targets a 70% increase in utilization of existing manufacturing capacity by 2030 and includes multi-year procurement commitments to incentivize local supply.
Nairobi, Kenya — Kenya has unveiled an ambitious five-year roadmap to expand domestic production of health products and technologies, marking a significant step toward pharmaceutical self-reliance in East Africa. The Kenya Health Products and Technologies Local Manufacturing Strategy 2026–2030 was officially launched on 23 June 2026 by Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Medical Services, alongside government, industry, and development partners.
The strategy arrives as President William Ruto, in his role as African Union Champion for Local Manufacturing, has been urging the continent to build its own capacity to produce essential medicines. Speaking at a Kenya-hosted side event during the African Union Assembly in Addis Ababa in February 2026, President Ruto described local manufacturing as sitting "at the heart of Africa's health security and sovereignty agenda."
A Strong Foundation with Persistent Gaps
Kenya enters this effort from a position of regional strength. The country is already the third-largest exporter of pharmaceutical products in Africa and the largest supplier within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), commanding close to half of that regional market. More than 37 licensed manufacturers produce 694 medicine formulations, ranging from bulk paracetamol to essential generics, supplying Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Somalia alongside the domestic market. Pharmaceutical exports climbed from Sh12.2 billion in 2022 to Sh19.9 billion in 2024, representing a 63% increase over two years. Notably, Universal Corporation Limited (search) became the first company in Africa to secure WHO prequalification for a lifesaving antimalarial.
Despite these achievements, Kenya still imports an estimated 70 to 80% of the pharmaceuticals it consumes — a vulnerability starkly exposed when COVID-19 and Mpox outbreaks disrupted global supply chains. The country's health products market is valued at approximately USD 1.2 billion annually, with more than USD 760 million spent on imports. Local manufacturers produce only around 20% of the medicines on Kenya's Essential Medicines List and operate at less than half of their installed production capacity.
Targets and Procurement Reforms
The new strategy aims first at lifting utilization of existing manufacturing capacity by 70% by 2030. It also seeks to help manufacturers achieve internationally recognized Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards and introduces multi-year procurement commitments — addressing a long-standing complaint from manufacturers that it is often more profitable to export than to supply Kenya's own public health system.
Vaccine Manufacturing and the mRNA Programme
On the vaccine front, Kenya joined the WHO-Medicines Patent Pool mRNA Technology Transfer Programme in February 2026. Through this initiative, the Kenya BioVax Institute (search) is building local capacity to manufacture vaccines targeting COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis, and other outbreak-prone diseases.
Regulatory Strengthening
Dr. Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, WHO Representative a.i. to Kenya, emphasized that quality must remain central to the expansion. "As Kenya expands local manufacturing, quality must remain at the centre of every step of the journey. The success of this Strategy will depend not only on increasing production, but also on ensuring that health products consistently meet the highest standards of quality, safety and efficacy. Expanding production capacity and strengthening regulatory systems must go hand in hand."
To that end, Kenya has begun developing a National Action Plan on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products. On 1 July 2026, the Ministry of Health convened the plan's first Interministerial Steering Committee, bringing together regulators, law enforcement agencies, and development partners. WHO estimates that roughly one in every ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified.
The strategy also commits Kenya to strengthening the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (search) toward WHO Maturity Level 3, an internationally recognized regulatory benchmark that would enhance the credibility of locally manufactured medicines both domestically and across the region.
Japan Partnership and Investment
In a parallel development on 2 July 2026, Dr. Oluga met with the Japan–Kenya Joint Technical Working Group and Mr. Hori Tomonobu, Chargé d'Affaires of Japan, to review progress under the Kenya–Japan health cooperation framework. Japan committed to mobilize KSh 3 billion to support Kenya's local vaccine manufacturing agenda through the State Department for Medical Services and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). The proposed investment will strengthen vaccine research and manufacturing capacity through modern research infrastructure and specialized skills development.
The meeting also advanced the Reliance Process, which will facilitate expedited regulatory review of medicines already approved in Japan, further reinforcing Kenya's pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem alongside efforts to harmonize pharmaceutical regulation and combat substandard and falsified medical products.
WHO has supported the development of both the strategy and the action plan, providing technical guidance on regulatory strengthening, quality assurance, and implementation — including through engagement with pharmacists, regulators, and manufacturers at the 46th Annual Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya Scientific Conference in Mombasa.
Dr. Kimambo underscored that the strategy's ultimate measure will be its tangible impact: "The true value of this Strategy will not be measured by the document we launch today. It will be measured by the factories that expand production, the jobs that are created, the medicines that become more accessible, the health systems that become more resilient, and, ultimately, the lives that are improved."