KENYA PRESIDENT LAUNCH CONSTRUCTION OF WHO AFRICAN OPERATION HUB

Speaking when he presided over the ground-breaking ceremony for the facility at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) in Kiambu County, President Kenyatta welcomed the WHO’s decision to put up the emergency hub in Kenya.

Kenya is one of the three African countries selected by the WHO to host a logistics hub that will be equipped with emergency medical personnel, commodities and equipment to support countries with emergencies in Eastern Africa.

Senegal and Nigeria are the other two African countries selected to host the WHO hubs that will also be centres of excellence in emergency medical training with a capacity to respond to over 100 crises at a time.

President Kenyatta commended WHO for the launch of the new innovative initiative to improve the capacities of African countries to respond, in real-time, to increasingly numerous and complex health emergencies.

“An expanded and more versatile emergencies hub in Kenya will allow WHO to effectively and swiftly support Kenya and all Eastern and Southern African countries by maintaining stockpiles of medical and logistical supplies.

“It is in this context that the WHO Regional Office for Africa sought to strengthen and expand the WHO emergencies hub in Kenya, to coordinate high-quality responses to health emergencies,” the President said.

To facilitate the commencement of operations of the hub, President Kenyatta said the Government has allocated 30 acres of land adjacent to KUTRRH and committed USD 5 million towards the operationalization of the hub.

“We will continue to collaborate with other development partners in sourcing for more resources to support the completion and the full operationalization of this hub,” the President said.

He added that the Government has also provided WHO with rent-free office space at the KUTRRH to accommodate the initial staff component of up to 150 officers needed to start preparations for the establishment of the hub

“This space has been identified on the Training Research and Innovation (TRIC) building of the KUTRRH,” President Kenyatta said.

The Head of State expressed satisfaction that his directive to the National Treasury and Kenya Revenue Authority to expedite customs clearance for the emergency logistics hub’s medical supplies has been operationalized.

“I am pleased to note that the Kenya Revenue Authority, in collaboration with other Government agencies, has developed an end-to-end process flow map for this expedited clearance process in order to ensure the smooth running of this facility.

“I wish to assure WHO, of Kenya’s unflinching support for strengthening WHO as the global leader and coordinating entity for preparedness and response of pandemics and other health emergencies,” the Head of State said.

At the same time, President Kenyatta announced that Kenya has endorsed the legally binding International Pandemic Treaty under WHO which aims to strengthen global solidarity, high-level political commitment and equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics during pandemics, especially to the developing world.