The Ministry of Health has announced a shortage of the Rotavac Frozen rotavirus vaccine, which is administered to infants at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age.
In a public notice on Friday, March 6, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the vaccine is facing a temporary disruption in global supply.
Duale noted that the Ministry has been notified that the manufacturer of the vaccine, Bharat Biotech, is experiencing production delays due to facility upgrades, affecting deliveries for 2026–2027.
“The Ministry of Health would like to inform the public of a temporary disruption in the global supply of the Rotavac Frozen rotavirus vaccine, routinely administered to infants at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age.
“Gavi the vaccine Alliance notified Kenya that the manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, is experiencing production delays due to facility upgrades, affecting vaccine deliveries in 2026–2027,” said Duale.
Read More
The Health CS said the country only has 4,000 doses at the national level, which are less than one month’s stock.
According to Duale, a shipment of the vaccine originally expected in January 2026 has been delayed, with the earliest anticipated arrival now projected for the end of April 2026.
CS Duale assured parents with infants that the Ministry of Health is working closely with UNICEF and other partners to fast-track shipments.
The Health CS also said the ministry is working with global partners to restore normal vaccine supply
“The Ministry of Health is working closely with UNICEF and partners to fast-track shipments, redistribute available doses equitably across counties, and closely monitor stock levels to minimize service disruption,” he said.
Further, Duale advised parents and caregivers to continue attending routine immunization visits and to strengthen diarrhoea prevention measures.
The announcement comes months after the country faced shortages in the doses of BCG and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).
At least 12 out of the 47 counties had completely run out of vaccines, with the ministry attributing the challenges being experienced to global bottlenecks that were making it difficult for countries to access the commodities.
"The low vaccine stock levels have resulted from a combination of factors, and mainly the Global vaccine supply bottlenecks, which continue to impact several countries,” PS Ouma Oluga said at the time.
The vaccines arrived in the country in June 2025, and CS Duale flagged off the 6.2 million doses to the counties.
