Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional health security, epidemic preparedness, and Africa’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
To cement the commitment, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale held high-level consultations with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Deputy Director-General Dr. Raji Tajudeen.
The meeting focused on enhancing collaboration in key areas, including disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, health workforce development, and local manufacturing of health products and technologies.
Duale commended Africa CDC, under the leadership of Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya, for its critical role in supporting African nations to build resilient public health systems and coordinate responses to health emergencies, including ongoing Ebola response efforts across the region.
A major highlight of the discussions was the strategic role of the Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre (RCC), which is hosted by Kenya.
Duale described the RCC as a vital platform for advancing regional preparedness and strengthening coordinated emergency response mechanisms across Eastern Africa.
He reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to implementing the Host Country Agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding signed during the World Health Summit, which provide the framework for the RCC to operate as a regional hub for workforce development, disease surveillance, local manufacturing, and health emergency response.
The consultations also underscored Kenya’s continued adherence to continental and regional health security frameworks. While the country has not recorded any confirmed Ebola cases, the Cabinet Secretary noted that robust preparedness measures remain in place, including intensified disease surveillance, strengthened border health controls, enhanced emergency response systems, and sustained public awareness campaigns.
Reiterating the commitment of the Government of Kenya under the Fifth Administration, Duale pledged continued support for Africa CDC’s vision of building a self-reliant and resilient continent capable of effectively responding to emerging public health threats.
As the African Union Champion for Local Manufacturing of Health Products and Technologies, Kenya continues to advocate for increased production of essential medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and other critical health commodities across Africa to reduce dependence on external supply chains.
Duale emphasized that Kenya will continue working closely with Africa CDC and development partners to advance shared health priorities and position the Eastern Africa RCC, as a leading centre of excellence for health security, preparedness, innovation, and coordinated emergency response across the continent.
by Joseph Ng’ang’a
