President William Ruto on Thursday, May 28, held a phone call discussion with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
In a statement, the US Department of State Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said President Ruto and Rubio discussed coordinated measures to secure critical medical supplies for Kenya and to reinforce the country’s health system preparedness.
During the talks, Rubio informed President Ruto that the US government intends to commit Ksh1.74 billion ($13.5 million) toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts.
“The Secretary and President Ruto discussed coordinated efforts to secure vital medical supplies for Kenya and ensure the strength and preparedness of Kenya’s health system.
“The United States Government intends to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts and has already committed to providing $112 million in bilateral assistance to the regional response,” read part of the statement.
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Pigott also noted that the two leaders agreed to maintain close coordination as the situation evolves and to continue leveraging the long-standing US-Kenya health partnership.
“The two leaders agreed to maintain close coordination as the situation evolves and to continue leveraging the strong US-Kenya health partnership that has proven essential in addressing public health challenges in Kenya and across East Africa,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Ruto has announced that the government will set up a National Response Committee led by the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to coordinate response, strengthen public awareness and preparedness, and mobilise resources for Ebola.
"The Government will establish a National Response Committee under the leadership of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to coordinate a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response, strengthen public awareness and preparedness, and mobilise the technical and financial resources necessary to address any eventualities arising from the Ebola outbreak," Ruto said.
This comes after the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government demanding full disclosure of alleged negotiations with the United States administration over the establishment of an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Air Base.
In a statement on Thursday, the union accused the government of prioritizing foreign interests over the safety and health security of Kenyans.
"As the vanguard of Kenya’s healthcare system, we are utterly disgusted by the government’s apparent willingness to trade national biosecurity and the lives of its citizens for foreign aid. We will not sit back and watch Kenya be treated as a containment colony for a lethal pathogen that we did not generate," the statement read.
KMPDU said the ongoing Ebola outbreak is currently concentrated in the DR Congo and Uganda, and questioned why Kenya had allegedly been selected to host exposed U.S. citizens instead of countries closer to the outbreak zone.
"The current Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak is centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. We demand absolute transparency from Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on why Kenya has been selected as the designated dumping ground for exposed U.S. citizens while nations directly bordering the epicentre are bypassed," the statement added.
The union also raised concerns about the transportation of potentially exposed individuals into Kenya, questioning the logic behind allowing such flights into Kenyan territory if the United States considers transporting them back home unsafe.
"If the United States believes the 12-hour medevac flight back to Washington is too dangerous for its citizens, by what logic is it safe to fly infected or exposed individuals into Kenyan airspace and drop them in Laikipia?" the statement further read.
