Kenya was among three African countries that were chosen to test the world's first malaria vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.
Kenya, Ghana and Malawi will begin piloting the injectable vaccine next year with young children, who have been at highest risk of death.
The vaccine, which has partial effectiveness, has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives if used with existing measures, the WHO regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said in a statement.
It will be tested on children between 5-17 months old to see whether its protective effects shown so far in clinical trials can hold up under real-life conditions.
The Kenya National Economic Survey 2017, released last week, showed that malaria killed 16,000 people last year, second only to pneumonia which claimed 21,295 lives.
Kenya was chosen for the vaccine pilot programme because of her strong prevention and vaccination programs though it continues to have high numbers of malaria cases.
The three countries are expected to deliver the vaccine through their existing vaccination programs.
