The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening disease surveillance systems and emergency response mechanisms as part of its broader goal to enhance national health security and safeguard communities from emerging public health threats.
As part of this effort, the Ministry of Health has reiterated its support for the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI), recognising it as the lead agency for coordinating and managing emergency preparedness and response across the country.
The Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, chaired a Strategic Leadership Meeting with the KNPHI team to review progress in strengthening surveillance and emergency coordination functions.
The session underscored the Ministry’s commitment to supporting KNPHI’s transition and operational mandate of promoting public health through early detection, prevention, and rapid, coordinated response to health emergencies.
The Principal Secretary stressed the need for a robust and well-coordinated surveillance structure that promotes synergy across detection, confirmation, analysis, and response functions.
She noted that a unified system is critical to ensuring timely and effective management of public health threats, both at the national and county levels.
The meeting also discussed outbreak management strategies and reviewed the Strategic Plan Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, aligning them with the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Kenya’s emergency preparedness, resilience, and response capacity.
