A national consortium for natural products research
Bringing together six institutions to validate, develop and integrate evidence-based natural products against COVID-19 and other respiratory infections in Kenya.
Why this consortium exists
Lower respiratory infections rank among the top leading causes of death in Kenya. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic complicated an already difficult situation, making it necessary to search for potent alternatives that can complement vaccines and the already strained conventional healthcare system.
Kenya is endowed with abundant medicinal flora that indigenous communities have used to manage respiratory ailments since time immemorial. However, these working options had not been validated and their safety had not been confirmed.
The COVID-19 Drug Development and Trials Research Consortium was formed to close that gap: to apply modern laboratory and ICT technologies to validate traditional remedies, develop natural medicinal products and supplements, and integrate quality, evidence-based alternative medicine into the national healthcare system.
Natural products, validated and integrated
To harness modern technology and laboratory science to ease the integration of alternative medicines used by local communities into the national healthcare system — developing natural medicinal products and food supplements, validating existing products, and making them safe for use.
Collaborative, interdisciplinary research
Six partner institutions contribute distinct but connected projects, coordinated by KEMRI and funded by the National Research Fund, working in partnership with the Herbalists Society of Kenya and other stakeholders.
Programme objectives
The consortium's work is organised around developing and evaluating innovative approaches to managing COVID-19.
01 · Survey & document
Conduct ethnobotanical and ethno-medical surveys of the traditional approaches used by communities to prevent and manage COVID-19 in Kenya.
02 · Validate & standardise
Develop biological, phytochemical, physicochemical and chromatographic fingerprints to standardise the quality of raw plant materials and formulated products.
03 · Test safety & efficacy
Assess safety and conduct preliminary trials on the safety and efficacy of selected herbal formulations in the prevention and management of COVID-19.
04 · Integrate & disseminate
Design and disseminate sustainable, evidence-based, community-level interventions for integration into mainstream healthcare.
From indigenous knowledge to national policy
The consortium combines ethnopharmacology, laboratory science, product development and policy reform. Using indigenous knowledge and products does not only improve health by strengthening immunity and alleviating COVID-19 symptoms — it also improves the economy through validation, intellectual property protection, production and commercialisation of herbal-based products.
- Documenting herbal remedies, plant identification and use
- Modern laboratory and ICT technologies for validation
- Product development: supplements, sprays, functional foods
- Quality assurance, standards and Good Manufacturing Practices
- Reviewing and harmonising guidelines and policies into law
How the consortium has grown
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October 2021
Inaugural meeting at KEMRI
The founding Principal Investigators met at KEMRI Headquarters, announced an initial seed grant of over Ksh 50 million from the National Research Fund, and set the consortium's direction.
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November 2021
Official launch
The consortium was officially launched, positioning natural products development as a national priority research area.
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February 2022
First stakeholder symposium — Kenyatta University
The consortium convened the Herbalists Society of Kenya, principal investigators and other stakeholders to align on evidence-based collaborative research.
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2022 – 2024
Fieldwork, laboratory research & product development
Survey and mapping of medicinal plants, vegetables and mushrooms; standardisation and efficacy testing; development of the mobile app and antimicrobial products.
Funded by the National Research Fund
An initial seed funding of over Ksh 50.6 million supports this three-year research programme to develop natural medicinal products for mitigating COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.