President William Ruto has directed the formation of a National Response Committee to coordinate Kenya’s preparedness and response to the Ebola outbreak reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a statement issued on Thusrday, May 28, the President said the committee will be led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and will oversee the country’s response strategy against any possible Ebola-related emergencies.

According to Ruto, the committee will coordinate a whole-of-government approach aimed at strengthening public awareness, preparedness and mobilisation of technical and financial resources.

“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.

📌 What You Need to Know

The latest move comes amid growing public scrutiny over the government’s approval of a United States-funded Ebola quarantine and treatment facility which is set to be hosted at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki.

The U.S. has committed Ksh1.74 billion to support Kenya’s Ebola preparedness following a phone call on Thursday between Ruto and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Even so, the setting up of the quarantine facility has drawn criticism from sections of the public and stakeholders, with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) issuing a 48-hour ultimatum demanding greater transparency over the agreement and threatening industrial action .

At the same time, the Katiba Institute moved to court seeking to block the implementation of the plan.

Ruto announced the response committee after hosting a high-level meeting at State House, Nairobi, on May 28 that brought together ambassadors, development partners, multilateral agencies and international stakeholders to assess Kenya’s readiness and discuss regional containment measures.

Representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, France, Germany, China, Japan, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Türkiye, as well as officials from the Nairobi United Nations Office and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, were in attendance.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke