Nairobi — Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has assured Kenyans that no personal medical information will be shared under the new Sh208 billion Kenya-US health deal, saying only aggregated, non-identifiable data will be used in monitoring implementation.
Duale said concerns raised over possible exposure of individual health records were unfounded, stressing that the agreement strictly excludes national ID numbers, addresses or personal medical histories.
The data to be shared, he explained, will be limited to totals, trends, performance indicators and system-level outcomes.
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He spoke as he announced that the government will soon publish the full documents of the health partnership recently signed between President William Ruto's administration and the United States.
The agreement, which will invest Sh208 billion in Kenya's health system over five years, with an extra two for reporting, was signed in Washington, D.C., in the presence of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and President William Ruto.
Duale said the documents will be tabled in Parliament as public records, noting they have already been reviewed by the National Treasury, the Attorney General and Ministry of Health legal teams.
Implementation Strategy
The Health CS also confirmed a major shift in implementation, moving from NGO-led delivery to a direct Government-to-Government (G2G) framework.
He said the main agreement and data-sharing structure are complete, with only the implementation matrix and co-financing components pending, and noted that around 13,000 health workers operating under existing HR programmes may be affected.
"So this time, the new paradigm shift and the new architecture is that we must remove the middle team, that is, the implementing agencies and the NGOs. We have signed a G2G agreement, which, for the benefit of the people of Kenya, I have. I will shortly make it available, and I'll give it to Parliament," he noted.
CS Duale said the documents would be tabled in Parliament, describing them as public records intended to guarantee transparency adding that the National Treasury, Attorney General and Ministry of Health legal teams have already examined the contents.
"It's a public document, and it takes care of the interests of our people. We made sure the National Treasury, the Attorney General, and the legal team at the Ministry of Health have reviewed it," he said.
Duale also outlined a major shift in how the partnership will be rolled out moving from NGO-led delivery to a direct Government-to-Government (G2G) model.
President Ruto said the agreement will strengthen Kenya's efforts to realise universal health coverage, modernise hospital equipment, deliver the Social Health Authority's services, and boost disease surveillance and emergency preparedness.
"The framework we sign today adds momentum to my administration's universal health coverage that is focused on supply of modern equipment to our hospitals, efficient and timely delivery of health commodities to our facilities, enhancement of our health workforce, and health insurance for all, and leaving no Kenyan behind," he said.
Health Cooperation Framework
President Ruto appreciated the US Government for choosing Kenya as the first country to sign the Health Cooperation Framework.
He said this decision reinforces the United States' confidence in Kenya's healthcare systems, which are built to be self-sustaining.
"This gesture of goodwill by President Donald Trump, on behalf of the American taxpayers, reinforces our ongoing mobilisation of domestic resources in the health sector. I assure you that every shilling and dollar will be spent efficiently, effectively and accountably," he said.
He noted that the partnership builds on Kenya's long standing health relationship with the United States, backed by more than $7 billion (KSh910 billion) over 25 years, focused on building resilience, restoring hope, and supporting impactful institutions.
"Together, we have built resilience, restored hope, and supported impactful institutions," he said.
Secretary Rubio said the US chose Kenya because of its stable and strong institutions in both government and the health sector.
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He noted that the $1.6 billion will not only support medicine, but also domestic health infrastructure, ensuring a health system that is self-sustaining.
Under the old model, he explained, much of the money went to the operating costs of NGOs, leaving only a small share for the host country, patients, and other intended programmes.
"We are not going to spend millions of dollars funding the NGO industrial complex while close and important partners like Kenya have very little influence on how healthcare money is spent. Bottom line if you want to help a country, work with that country, not with a third party that imposes things on that country," Rubio pointed out.
Secretary Rubio praised Kenya's leading role in restoring peace and stability in Haiti, noting that without Kenya's participation the transition to a gang suppression force would have been impossible.
He said Kenya cannot do it alone and encouraged other countries to contribute money and personnel to support the peace mission.
