The Ministry of Health has proposed the establishment of the Kenya Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to coordinate disease prevention, health security, and responses to public health emergencies.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a Gazette Notice dated October 9, 2026, the ministry announced that it had prepared a Regulatory Impact Statement for the draft Kenya Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Order, 2026, which seeks to formally establish the institution.

Prepared under Section 3(1) of the State Corporations Act, the draft order outlines the centre's proposed role in preventing and controlling diseases, preparing for public health threats and coordinating emergency responses.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has invited members of the public and other interested parties to submit written memoranda to the Ministry of Health within 14 days.

📌 What You Need to Know

This comes after Kenya reported its first imported case of Ebola almost a week ago, with the Ministry of Health advising Kenyans to stay calm but also avoid crowded places as part of the assurance to avoid further spread of the virus.

The Ebola case has raised high health awareness in the country, with Kenya putting strict measures at its borders , and several countries putting Kenya on high alert when traveling into Kenya, which includes: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Globally, disease control agencies help the government detect disease outbreaks early, monitor the spread of infectious diseases, and rely on disease surveillance, laboratory testing, and data analysis.

The proposed facility could perform functions similar to those of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which supports disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, and laboratory services.

Meanwhile, the ministry has scheduled public participation meetings across the country, with the first meetings being held on Tuesday, October 13, in Kisumu, Garissa and Mombasa, covering the North Eastern, Nyanza and Coast regions respectively.

On Thursday, 15 October, there will be meetings taking place in Isiolo, Kakamega and Nakuru, and on Friday October 16, further meetings will be held in Nyeri, Eldoret and Machakos.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke