The Ministry of Health (MoH) has dismissed concerns that personal medical data of Kenyans is being compromised under the newly signed health cooperation agreement with the United States. The five-year partnership, finalized on Thursday in Washington, D.C., aims to bolster Kenya’s priority health programs while enhancing the long-term sustainability of the country’s national health systems.
Under the agreement, the U.S. government will inject Ksh.208 billion into Kenya’s health institutions over the next five years. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale emphasized in a statement on Sunday that the framework firmly preserves Kenya’s ownership of all health data and associated intellectual property.
“The Agreement explicitly stipulates that Kenya retains sole ownership of the data. Importantly, it relies on aggregate-level data presented in dashboards and national reports, without the need to share private information such as names, identification numbers, contact details, addresses, or individual medical records,” CS Duale clarified.
He further highlighted that the agreement includes protective measures to ensure that, “to the maximum extent practical, Kenya shall not provide individual-level data or personally identifiable information (PII) to the U.S. Government. This provision was intentionally included to address exactly the types of concerns being circulated today.”
The framework aligns with Kenyan legal standards, including the Constitution, the Health Act 2017, the Data Protection Act 2019, and the Digital Health Act 2023. CS Duale emphasized, “This agreement operates within Kenya’s constitutional order, where the right to privacy is guaranteed, and any limitation of rights must be lawful, reasonable, and justifiable.”
Beyond privacy assurances, the cooperation framework is designed to accelerate the fight against HIV, TB, and malaria and to drive the transition toward a fully self-reliant national health system by 2030. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi also confirmed that the funds represent direct government-to-government assistance, not a loan, aimed at reducing reliance on fragmented donor-led programs.
The agreement further stipulates that Kenya will increase its domestic health expenditure by Ksh.850 million over the duration of the partnership. This historic deal positions Kenya as the first African country to enter a government-to-government health cooperation agreement with the United States, marking a significant milestone in strengthening the country’s healthcare sector.
