Kenyan firm sues government, says vaccine test results were ignored

June 16, 2016

A Kenyan medical-research firm has brought suit against the government, claiming that the government refused to pay for testing that showed contamination of vaccines being distributed by the country's health ministry. 

Agriq Quest Ltd. is asking for 13.8 million shillings ($136,000), in payment for testing of the controversial tetanus and polio vaccines. The firm says that after it found problems with the vaccines, the health ministry failed even to collect the results of the tests.

The vaccines became controversial because of reports that they contained chemicals intended to sterilize recipients. The government denied those reports, and agreed to testing of the vaccines, to be conducted jointly by the health ministry and the Catholic bishops' conference. A substantial number of the test samples did show the presence of the sterilizing drug. 

Agriq Quest charges in its lawsuit that the government had refused to pay for tests that did not support the claim that the vaccines were safe. 

 

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Further information:

• State faces suit over ‘unsafe vaccines’ test (Daily Nation)
• Kenyan bishops support vaccination boycott, citing risks (CWN 7/30/15)