Kenya Strengthens Public Health Emergency Preparedness Through Strategic Investments
Nairobi, Kenya - - Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to strengthening national preparedness and response to public health emergencies during a joint inspection visit to the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI) and the Infectious Diseases Unit at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) with the United States Chargé d’Affaires to Kenya, Ms. Susan M. Burns.
The visit assessed Kenya’s capacity to detect, prevent and respond to public health threats, particularly Ebola, while reviewing ongoing investments that are strengthening the country’s public health systems and advancing the transformation of KNPHI into a world-class public health institution.
The Cabinet Secretary said the Government is progressing plans to establish a modern 200-bed National Infectious Diseases Centre that will integrate diagnosis, treatment, isolation, surveillance, research and training under one roof. The facility will strengthen Kenya’s capacity to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, improve the management of communicable diseases and position the country as a regional centre of excellence for infectious disease prevention, preparedness and response.
The delegation also reviewed key United States Government-supported investments at KNPHI, including the National Virology Laboratory, the Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Central Laboratory, two mobile laboratories, strengthened laboratory information management systems and continued support for HIV and tuberculosis reference testing services. These investments have enhanced disease surveillance, laboratory diagnostics and outbreak response across the country.
KNPHI now hosts four national reference laboratories supporting surveillance and rapid diagnosis of priority diseases. The two mobile laboratories have reduced laboratory turnaround time from several days to between six and eight hours, enabling faster public health interventions. To date, they have processed 173 Ebola samples, all of which tested negative.
At Kenyatta National Hospital, the delegation inspected the eight-bed Infectious Diseases Unit, which remains a critical component of Kenya’s preparedness framework for highly infectious diseases. The unit has managed 58 suspected Ebola cases, all of which tested negative, and is supported by a team of 38 healthcare workers specially trained in the management of highly infectious diseases.
The Cabinet Secretary was accompanied by Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Ms. Mary Muthoni, KNPHI Board Chairperson Paul Kariuki, U.S. CDC Kenya Country Director Ms. Jennifer Galbraith, DPH-K Chairperson Brian Rettman, Kenyatta National Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr. Richard Lesiyampe, and officials from the Ministry of Health and the United States Government.