Kenya’s Ministry of Health and the Africa CDC Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre (EARCC) have agreed to expedite the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) within the next two months.
Priority actions include finalising the MoU, developing a joint workplan and performance framework, operationalising the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), and conducting regional simulation exercises.
The agreement, reached following a high-level strategic meeting in Naivasha on 29–30 September 2025, is expected to accelerate collaboration, finalise the institutional framework for partnership, and align Kenya’s health security priorities with Africa CDC’s New Public Health Order.
“Kenya remains a committed partner and regional leader in advancing the New Public Health Order for Africa,” said Mary Muthoni, Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards. “Through this partnership, we are strengthening our collective resilience and building a self-sustaining health security system for the region.”
A joint steering committee and operational framework will be established to guide coordinated implementation, monitoring, and accountability.
Other discussions focused on accelerating surveillance integration, advancing One Health adoption, and implementing the 7-1-7 Strategy for epidemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
Kenya was endorsed as a regional hub for laboratory science, workforce development, and field epidemiology training, alongside ongoing efforts to standardise and expand a rapid-response workforce.
During the meeting, plans were made to install Africa CDC–donated PHEOC equipment and expand Kenya’s national laboratory network into a regional reference system.
As Africa grapples with limited local manufacturing capacity for vaccines and diagnostics, participants underscored the need to improve access to finance and boost production. Emphasis was placed on leveraging Kenya’s growing pharmaceutical sector to advance regional self-sufficiency in vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics through regulatory harmonisation and innovative financing mechanisms.
The meeting also called for sustainable financing, allocating at least 0.5% of national health budgets to epidemic preparedness, alongside increased investment in data governance, One Health integration, and climate-resilient health systems.
The Ministry of Health reaffirmed Kenya’s full commitment as host country, pledging to expedite the MoU to guide implementation of the agreed priorities, said Principal Secretary Muthoni.
