How Ruto-Trump health deal risks patient data

A high-stakes bilateral health cooperation framework between Kenya and the US, originally slated for signing in mid-November, was postponed over deep disagreements on health data ownership, real-time surveillance obligations, and national sovereignty.

President William Ruto is now expected to oversee the eventual signing, but civil society, legal experts, and public health advocates are demanding major revisions, warning that the current draft risks turning Kenya’s health information systems into a 25-year American asset.

The MoU aims to advance the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) ambitions through collaboration in six key areas: disease surveillance and outbreak response, laboratory systems strengthening, commodity supply chains, health data systems, technical assistance, and sustained funding.

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