The government, through the Data Protection Commission, has commenced investigations to establish the authenticity of reports by Standard Media suggesting that the United States government took custody of critical health data.
Standard Group, in an article published on Thursday, March 27, revealed that the country’s health sector was facing a major crisis after it emerged that the government did not have accurate data on critical diseases.
The Mombasa Road-based media house further disclosed that data on tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and immunisation could be lacking after the US withdrew funds for maintaining the systems that store this information.
According to the article, the decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw up to Ksh140 million meant for maintaining the system affected critical systems essential for HIV care and treatment.
“The ministry revealed that Kenya may struggle to acquire, maintain, and upgrade the systems independently, leaving the nation vulnerable to disruptions and hindering the transition to locally controlled infrastructure,” read part of the article.
The article added, “Currently, there’s no data for HIV patients, and they cannot be traced. Pregnant women who are HIV positive also do not have data to help put their newborns on treatment.”
In a statement on Friday, March 28, Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait said that investigations into the credibility of the reports by the media house would be conducted in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2019, and attendant regulations.
“The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner’s attention has been drawn to an article published by The Standard newspaper on March 27, 2025, 'Patients on their own as US takes custody of critical healthcare data',” Kassait noted.
“The ODPC has commenced investigations into the matter in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2019, and attendant regulations to establish the veracity of the said allegations,” she added.
On January 20, President Trump signed an executive order directing the suspension of foreign aid for 90 days pending an assessment to ensure it aligns with America’s foreign policy.
Following the decree, all agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), were ordered to immediately pause disbursements of development and health assistance.
Data from the USAID listed Kenya among the top ten countries that would be greatly impacted by the foreign aid cuts, with the nation currently grappling to cope with the new reality of finding alternative sources to fund the medication of critical diseases.
