By Roy Hezron
Kenya’s top professors and senior university lecturers who want to come up with a vaccine for COVID-19 and other related research activities have received a major boost from the government through its research funding agency National Research Fund (NRF) after disbursing over Sh130 Million National Covid-19 Strategic Research Grant to the country’s research institutions and universities.
The grant which was launched by the Principal Secretary in the State Department for University Education and Research Amb Simon Nabukwesi at the Nairobi Safari Club hotel on January17, 2022; will be a major boost to researchers and varsity dons who will be investigating on COVID-19 drug development and trials, optimizing parameters for the proper use of face masks to reduce severity of underlying infections for enhanced tolerance to COVID-19, enhancing mental health and psychosocial support to address effects of COVID-19 among primary and secondary school learners in the country, and biotechnology research and clinical trials.
Speaking during the launch Amb Nabukwesi urged researchers to appreciate the opportunity from the government by offering to advance research driven solutions in addressing the pandemic and help build the country, and further assured them that the government is committed to support pooling of research efforts and resources to respond to the crisis.
“The government will continue to develop long-term sustainable strategies to address the challenges facing the Health Sector though research and as the global threat of Covid-19 continues to emerge, it is critical to mount on research initiatives that address various aspects that you have made presentations on,” said Amb Nabukwesi.
He added: “The pandemic has indeed shown us, and in the strongest way possible, that investing in research is not just the right thing to do but the smart thing to do. There’s therefore no tradeoff between investing in research and our economy. Research is an investment in our collective future.”
The COVID-19 Drug Development and Trials Consortium led by Prof. Jennifer Orwa who is an Assistant Principle Clinical Research Scientist at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Associate Professor of Pharmacy received a lion share of the grant.
The group; which include Prof. Isabel Wagara from Egerton University, Dr. Meshack Onyambu of Kenyatta University, Dr. Peter Kirira of Mount Kenya University, Dr. Martin Magu from Multimedia University of Kenya, and Dr. Joseph Mwafaida of Pwani University got over Sh. 50 million and are supposed to complete their project within three (3) years.
The research project of Prof Orwa’s led team is expected to map medicinal resources with the potential to mitigate COVID-19 and other SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)-like ailments, screen for efficacy and toxicity of selected medicinal resources against SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2), and develop and validate herbal products and PPEs (personal protective equipments) with the potential to mitigate COVID-19.
It is expected further to develop functional food products and supplements with the potential to mitigate COVID-19, restore and conserve sources of anti-COVID19 medicinal resources in selected regions of Kenya, and develop and disseminate policy and legislation on natural drug products.
In a span of three years, Prof Orwa research team is supposed to have created a monograph of medicinal antiviral resources, have evidence-based COVID-19 herbal products for further development, to validate and standardize the herbal products currently in use, and develop unique PPEs and Antimicrobial spray for enhanced preventive measure for COVID-19.
Further, the research team is gearing towards developing Mobile App software to track and monitor progress of COVID-19 patients, develop functional food products from edible mushrooms and supplements developed from vegetables for improved immunity, establish medicinal tree nurseries for sustainability of medicinal resources, and develop guidelines on regulation of natural products for improved decision making and regulated use of herbal therapy.
However, for full completion of the research process, the team has projected that it will require to source for more funding for clinical trials of viable products, commercialization, up-scaling and restoration of target resources.
On the other hand, Dr. John Paul Oyore who is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Community Health Epidemiologist at Kenyatta University, is leading a team of researchers who want to investigating possible natural biocides that can be used to coat face mask surfaces to reduce microbial contamination following prolonged use received over Sh. 18 million to undertake their research which they are supposed to complete within a year.
Dr. Oyore’s team recognizes that many Kenyans, especially in the informal sectors, perform their routine duties where they have to deal with excessive sweating, talking, shouting and/or touching the face masks; while others, particularly during rainy seasons unknowingly or due to the nature of their work find their face masks permanently moistened.
The team notes that by being in tight proximity to the face and receiving warm moistened breath from the nose, face masks also naturally assume the body temperature, as parameters are conducive for microbial colonization particularly by the pathogenic bacteria from the individual wearer, atmosphere and polluted environments; and reduce bacterial contamination.
The project, which was awarded Sh.18, 156,000 has drawn collaborators from Kenyatta University, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and University of Eldoret.
In September last year, the NRF disbursed a total of Sh. 74,111,479 to 4 COVID 19 Research Consortia as part of the Sh. 131,037,479 research funding on the COVID-19.
In April, 2020, the NRF made a research call on three Strategic Areas of COVID 19, Cancer Incidences and the Desert Locusts menace.
A total of 13 Research Consortia were established to undertake the strategic research. The Fund has since finalized the processing the strategic research calls on COVID-19.
