Kenya\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Priority actions include finalising\u00a0the MoU, developing a joint workplan and performance framework,\u00a0operationalising the\u00a0Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC),\u00a0and conducting regional simulation exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agreement, reached following a high-level strategic meeting in Naivasha on 29\u201330 September 2025, is expected to accelerate collaboration, finalise the institutional framework for partnership, and align Kenya\u2019s health security priorities with Africa CDC\u2019s New Public Health Order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKenya remains a committed partner and regional leader in advancing the New Public Health Order for Africa,\u201d said Mary Muthoni, Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards. \u201cThrough this partnership, we are strengthening our collective resilience and building a self-sustaining health security system for the region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A joint steering committee and operational framework will be established to guide coordinated implementation, monitoring, and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other discussions focused on accelerating surveillance integration, advancing One Health adoption, and implementing the 7-1-7 Strategy for epidemic prevention, preparedness, and response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the meeting, plans were made to install Africa CDC\u2013donated PHEOC equipment and expand Kenya\u2019s national laboratory network into a regional reference system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s growing pharmaceutical sector to advance regional self-sufficiency in vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics through regulatory harmonisation and innovative financing mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting also called for\u00a0sustainable financing, allocating at least 0.5% of national health budgets to epidemic preparedness, alongside increased investment in\u00a0data governance, One Health integration, and climate-resilient health systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ministry of Health reaffirmed\u00a0Kenya\u2019s full commitment as host country, pledging to expedite the MoU to guide implementation of the agreed priorities,\u00a0said\u00a0Principal Secretary Muthoni.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kenya\u2019s 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\u00a0the MoU, developing a joint workplan and performance framework,\u00a0operationalising the\u00a0Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC),\u00a0and conducting regional simulation exercises. The agreement, reached following a high-level strategic meeting in Naivasha […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":23678,"template":"","tags":[903],"thematic-area":[679],"region":[64,65,62,66,63],"country":[],"news-type":[750],"disease-category":[],"class_list":["post-23677","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-strategic-partnership","thematic-area-new-public-health-order","region-central-africa","region-eastern-africa","region-northern-africa","region-southern-africa","region-western-africa","news-type-stories-of-impact"],"yoast_head":"\n