President William Ruto has sought to alleviate concerns over Kenya’s health data following recent debates on the new agreement with the United States, assuring citizens that their information remains fully protected under Kenyan law.
Ruto stated that the new deal poses no threat to the country’s sovereignty, particularly in terms of health data.
“Nobody and no government will take advantage of the people of Kenya as long as I am President. I am clear about what we want and where we must go, and therefore there is no way the agreement we signed can undermine the interests of the people of Kenya, including matters related to our health data,” Ruto said.
Ruto emphasised that the Office of the Attorney General had thoroughly reviewed the agreement “with a tooth comb” to ensure that any data collected under the deal is governed by Kenyan law.
“The law that prevails on data that belongs to the people of Kenya is Kenyan law, and that is with clarity,” he said.
Ruto was speaking on Wednesday at State House when he chaired the 12th National and County governments’ coordinating summit.
The President also highlighted Kenya’s strong diplomatic and professional ties with the United States, noting that as a “viciously democratic nation,” the US would not permit its officials to exploit Kenya.
However, he underscored that Kenya would not rely solely on that assurance.
“They will not, but that’s not enough. Much as they will not allow their own officials to take advantage of others, we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of by anybody, even if there were opportunities to exploit us,” Ruto stated.
Ruto’s assurances come amid a growing public debate over the safety, confidentiality and ownership of citizens’ health information.
Ruto said the Sh208 billion Kenya-US partnership is grounded in mutual respect and transparency.
However, some social media influencers and activists have questioned the government’s transparency regarding the agreement.
The agreement will see US funding channelled directly to Kenyan government institutions such as the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA), moving away from the traditional model of using non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as intermediaries.
Ruto also urged NGOs critical of the new health funding framework to direct their concerns to Washington, instead of blaming the government.
He insisted that Kenya is simply the recipient of the funds following a decision by the US government to channel health resources directly to national authorities rather than through NGOs.
“It is not our decision; it is theirs. So if anybody is annoyed, they should take their anger to another place. They should not bring it to us,” the President said.
He acknowledged that some entities had previously benefited from US health funds and are now “sponsoring all manner of stories” regarding the shift.
According to Ruto, they are the ones who failed, hence the decision by the US to channel funds directly to governments.
“If they have a problem with the current structure, they should talk to the US government, because they decided, for efficiency and efficacy, that these resources should come directly to the government,” Ruto added.
The President also reassured county governments that the funds would still reach their jurisdictions.
“Those resources will find their way to our counties,” he said.
This, as he clarified that the facility is not a loan, dismissing concerns over new debt obligations.
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