This archive report was first published on 26 July 2021.
On July 26, 2021, Kenya's government blocked the use of a shipment of 75,000 Russian Covid-19 vaccines after discovering they had not been delivered directly by the Russian government.
The vaccines were part of a deal between the UAE-based Aurugulf Health Investments and Kenya's Dinlas Pharma, with the UAE firm reportedly securing a lucrative contract to ship at least one million jabs to Kenya.
According to a letter from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to Kenyan Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, the first shipment of 75,000 doses arrived on March 22, 2021, with RDIF's knowledge and approval.
However, the Kenyan government initially granted an emergency use authorization for Sputnik V on March 9, 2021, and later banned the use of the vaccines on April 2, 2021, after discovering the deal had been brokered with private healthcare companies, bypassing the government's vaccine rollouts.
The deal was reportedly brokered with private healthcare companies, bypassing the government's vaccine rollouts, and Kenya's Dinlas Pharma paid significantly more than Russia's advertised price for Sputnik V to obtain the jabs via Aurugulf.
According to a pricing schedule obtained by The Moscow Times, Dinlas paid $18.50 (Sh1,998) per dose of the vaccines — almost twice Russia's factory price of $9.95 (Sh1,074) — and planned to sell them to clients in Kenya for $42 (Sh4,536) each.
