MATUGGA – A team of senior State House officials has inspected the Dei BioPharma drugs and vaccines plant in Matugga, Wakiso District, to assess progress and value for the government’s investment.
The delegation, led by Comptroller and Permanent Secretary Jane Barekye, visited the facility on Wednesday.
It included Peter Ourien, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation; Dr. Herbert Kawawa, Senior Presidential Advisor on Audit and Accountability; and Brenda Nakazibwe, team lead for the Pathogen Economy in the same ministry.
Ms Barekye said the visit aimed to confirm that government funds were translating into tangible output. “We are here to establish whether money plus output are equal and to create a relationship,” she noted.
She noted that their responsibility is to advise the President while the government structures would continue doing oversight of the project through with the Auditor General doing the audits.
The team described the site as massive and sought closer collaboration with founder Dr. Matthias Magoola on accounting for public funds already injected.
Ms Barekye conveyed President Yoweri Museveni’s readiness to cover the remaining costs to finish the project.
Dei BioPharma requires sh1.736 trillion (about $430 million) to complete the plant and begin full production.
The overall investment is projected at sh4 trillion ($1.1 billion), of which sh2.5 trillion has already been raised.
“The beauty is that President Museveni is willing to give you all the balance you need to complete this project, but this money will be given progressively as work progresses,” the comptroller said.
Commissioned by President Museveni in July 2021 alongside then-Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto, the facility is designed to manufacture mRNA vaccines (with capacity for one billion doses annually), oncology treatments, insulin, monoclonal antibodies, and generics, including medicines for malaria and chronic diseases.
Dr. Magoola has also sought government support to expand the 250-acre campus so surrounding residents can be relocated to meet international manufacturing standards.
Dr. Magoola welcomed the inspection and pledged full accountability.
“I am aware that once you take taxpayers’ money you have to account for it,” he said, adding that transparent reporting would counter misinformation and demonstrate value for money.
He thanked the government for its investment and credited the President and Energy Minister Dr. Monica Musenero for enabling full-scale production at the company’s cassava starch plant in Kamuli through a dedicated power line.
He expressed hope that similar dedicated power would soon be installed at Matugga, where insufficient supply has idled some production lines.
Once resolved, the plant plans to increase shifts and hire more staff.
The inspection reinforced ongoing government engagement with the project as it moves toward large-scale pharmaceutical and vaccine production.
