President William Ruto has directed the formation of a National Response Committee to coordinate Kenya’s preparedness and response to the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
In a statement issued on Thursday, May 28, Ruto said the committee will be chaired by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and will spearhead a whole-of-government response to potential Ebola-related emergencies.
According to the President, the committee will oversee public awareness campaigns, preparedness measures, emergency response coordination, and mobilisation of technical and financial resources.
“The Government will establish a National Response Committee under the leadership of the Prime Cabinet Secretary to coordinate a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response,” Ruto said.
The announcement comes amid growing public concern over the government’s approval of a U.S.-funded Ebola quarantine and treatment facility expected to be established at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki.
The United States recently committed Ksh1.74 billion towards Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts following discussions between Ruto and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ruto announced the committee after hosting a high-level meeting at State House attended by ambassadors, development partners, multilateral agencies, and international stakeholders.
The President revealed that Kenya has intensified surveillance at 26 entry points, screened over 58,000 travellers, and identified 17 isolation centres nationwide.
He added that all suspected Ebola cases tested in Kenya so far had returned negative results.
According to Ruto, Kenya is also working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa CDC, and the United Nations to strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacity, and emergency response systems.