Kenya and United States in talks on Ebola preparedness collaboration

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]With Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who has confirmed that Kenya is in talks with the United States government on collaboration of preparedness and response mechanisms for the Ebola virus disease. This comes hours after reports emerged of plans by the Trump administration to set up a quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya for US citizens. On Wednesday, Kenya announced boosting the current infrastructure on tracing and testing for the Ebola virus.

[00:00:30]With neighboring Uganda announcing the temporary closure of its border with the DRC in order to tame the spread of the deadly virus. Let's begin our broadcast with our very own Laura Tiano.

[00:00:43]As fears grip the globe over the spread of the Ebola virus disease, Health CS Aden Duale has confirmed that Kenya is in talks with the United States government.

[00:00:56]The notice came hours after reports indicated that the United States government was to set up a treatment facility on Kenyan soil for the quarantine and treatment of the US citizens suspected to have had contracted the virus.

[00:01:11]In a statement, Duale said the talks were on collaboration on strengthening preparedness and response for the Ebola virus disease and other emerging threats. The statement, which neither confirmed or denied the setting up of such a facility, said any international health cooperation will be guided with the Kenyan law. And the government will prioritize protection of Kenyan citizens including frontline health workers.

[00:01:36]Anybody we feel who has been to that region in the last 1 month, uh we we we we are we are we are tracing them and making sure that we protect our country. This particular virus, Ebola virus, this strain doesn't have a vaccine. So, we have to be very, very careful.

[00:01:54]Duale said, and I quote, "Kenya's role in and global health security has been built over many years through deliberate investments in health system strengthening, public health surveillance, workforce development, and [clears throat] emergency preparedness."

[00:02:09]He also noted that health professionals from Kenya supported responses to major disease outbreaks across the region including the West Africa EVD outbreak in 2014 to 2016.

[00:02:22]Speaking in Busia on Wednesday, Kemri CEO Elijah Songkok said the government has boosted the current health infrastructure to adequately handle highly infectious diseases including the Ebola virus.

[00:02:36]The institution revealing planned upgrading of Alupe Hospital in Busia, which was pivotal in the isolation, quarantine, and treatment of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[00:02:47]>> When there is such an outbreak, the policy will be able to have, let's say, some tent or some isolation units.

[00:02:53]That's how it will be done, which are temporary.

[00:02:56]What we have been seeing or looking at is a long-term or a long-term thing, a medium-term or long-term thing. When COVID was there, we could not we could send our samples as far as South Africa, but today we can test um here in our country. So, we have strengthened the laboratory preparedness and uh diagnostic readiness.

[00:03:19]No case has been confirmed in Kenya.

[00:03:22]Neighboring Uganda has confirmed seven cases and announced the temporary closure of its border with the DRC as it seeks to control the spread of the virus.

[00:03:32]To date, 105 cases of Ebola have been confirmed in Uganda and the DRC. Laura Otieno, Citizen TV.