The government has responded to reports that researchers from Oxford University in the UK are planning to conduct trials for their Covid-19 vaccine in Kenya.
In a press briefing on Friday, Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) in the Ministry of Health Rashid Aman said Kenya was not aware of such plans since no official communication has been made.
“We do not have any communication on this at the moment but if and when we do, there are certain, laid out procedures which must be followed,” said Aman.
“Should the team from Oxford reach out to the Kenyan government, then there is a very robust process to be followed by the pharmacy and poisons board before the vaccine can be approved for a clinical trial,” he added.
Speaking on BBC News at Ten on Friday, BBC’s Medical Correspondent Fergus Walsh said the Oxford scientists will carry out the trials in Kenya “if they fail to get early quick results for the trials in the UK.” He said the Covid-19 pandemic may very well be on the rise in the country.
Questions have been raised over the decision to consider Kenya as a location for the vaccine trial due to its lower number of Covid-19 cases.
As of Thursday, April 23rd, there were 336 confirmed cases of the virus in Kenya, 14 deaths, and 95 recoveries.
“Can their ‘partners’ decide for us without public participation in this debate?” Narc-Kenya Party leader Martha Karua posed.
Robert J, an immunologist, said: “This is a failure of good scientific communication, & also a case of one partner is sprinting (in action and communicating) while the other one is still walking. The Oxford collaborating partner(s) in Kenya needs to get this conversation going in public. cc @KEMRI_Wellcome.”
The first human trial in Europe of a Covid-19 vaccine began on Thursday in the UK, where two volunteers—both scientists—were injected. The two are the first of the more than 800 adults, aged between 18 and 55 years, who have been recruited for the study.
Let the europeans try their…
Let the europeans try their covid-19 vaccine on themselves. They know whatsup
Rashid, there is no need to…
Rashid, there is no need to beat the bush. The answer is NO. Let them do the vaccine in the UK…not Kenya.
The only primary procedure…
The only primary procedure ni kitu kidogo.
LET THE UK TEST IT’S VACCINE…
LET THE UK TEST IT’S VACCINE ON IT’S PEOPLE, NOT AFRICANS. WAKENYA MSIDANGANYWE.
Come on, get real. Covid-19…
Come on, get real. Covid-19 vaccine tests are ongoing. It’s not a big deal that some of the tests will be done in Kenya. Come to Kenya, I’ll be the first volunteer, and not for profit. It’s good to help humanity.
I could advice you to make a…
I could advice you to make a will before if you’ve got a family before testing the Covid – 19 vaccasine, I live in Europe and they can Test anything while they’re full insured if anything happens they will be copensated!! I bet you don’t have the same privelages of life like them! Don’t be fooled up the way they take African to be of little Mindset!! They’ve got enough European and Lots of Lab Rats, Pigs etc to start With!!
If you don’t have your own family, you’ve got life ahead of you ??♀️??
we have leaders who only…
we have leaders who only think with their balls between and lead by the greed of money and once their wallets are filled up screw the rest of us,how i wish this CORONA thing can wipe them out!
I hope DP Ruto is not on…
I hope DP Ruto is not on this table negotiating his money cut to sell Kenyans to the highest covid19 vaccines bidders! Ruto’s hunger for money will make him sell every body for a few cents!!
We only have two problems in…
We only have two problems in kenya 1-raila 2-korona so they need to test it with raila then if he survives wr doomed again if he doomed kenya becomes peaceful in many years to come.Rao is worse than korona.
First it was the French and…
First it was the French and then here comes the British.Who is next the Americans,Australians ?.What is this Africans are not guinea pigs.Realistically speaking who needs the vaccine more.Italians and Americans and of course the Chinese who have under reported their numbers.Go do your science experiments there leave Africa and Kenya alone we are doing just fine.Help mankind my foot test it on lab rats knowing how you value animals more than black lives.
Let those countries that…
Let those countries that have been affected the most try the vaccines on their own people. They can start the trails in Italy, China, US, England, etc. There is pretty of Guenea pigs there. This BBC monkey called Walsh thinks people in Kenya are damn stupid!!
Rashid Anan, this is not the…
Rashid Anan, this is not the time to play politics with Kenyans by feigning ignorance on “official communications”!
Tell the Kenyan people the damn truth! Kenyans are not goats to be told to drink Lysol mixed with detergents to cure covid19! You should tell what BBC Walsh was talking about on BBC.
Walsh said covid19 is going…
Walsh said covid19 is going to Kenya in large numbers!!!! Really, really, really and really!!!???
And one should really wonder how Walsh, and where Walsh got this scare tactics information about testing vaccines in Kenya, a country that have registered very few pandemic deaths!
Can Rashid and the entire government come clean on what is wildly being discussed here???
What Rashid AMANDA said…
What Rashid AMANDA said about the Walsh’s alarming suggestions about the vaccines testing in Kenya leaves a lot unsaid!
Is there a damn plan to do covid19 testing on Kenyans?? Yes or NO?? Rashid needs to do that freaking briefing again, one more time, and shoot straight from the main part of his mouth; the front part of his damn mouth!!! And the resounding response is; NO???!!!
Kenyans, wherever you see…
Kenyans, wherever you see some smoke coming from the distance, fire follows suit!!! The alarmist BBC Walsh let the cat out of the bag prematurely to scare Kenyans so that when the time comes, we will all be hounded into some clinics to receive vaccines which no one knows what will be in them! Maybe it will be the household cleaning detergent Lysol packed in a tube labeled covid1, on better yet some poison meant to wipe out the black race out of the planet earth for Chinese to find a new home to ease the population burden in China. Kenyans beware!!
I hope this is not true. But…
I hope this is not true. But why Kenya? Or we are the only country that wants to copy and do everything British in the name of statuses? If it’s going to happen, the Kenyan researchers should be allowed to test the contents in that vaccine, and do not let anyone fool you with their free vaccines . I support Martha Karua in testing it on the Government official who are the ones to allow such a thing.