President Uhuru Kenyatta, on Tuesday, November 2, unveiled the Jomo Kenyatta Scholarship for Kenyan and United Kingdom healthcare practitioners.
The Head of State met the Kenya-UK Health Alliance (KUKHA) team at the ongoing 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.
KUKHA briefed Uhuru on the roll-out of the specialised medical training that will see Kenyan medics trained in the UK. The scholarship also entails capacity enhancement and an exchange program between Kenya and the UK postgraduate medical students.
“The purpose of the scholarship will be enhancing research capabilities and healthcare service delivery in the two countries top among them oesophagus and breast cancers which are rampant in Kenya,” a brief released by State House reads.
The initiator of KUKHA, Kisii Governor James Ongwae, further updated Kenyatta on the construction of a state-of-the-art medical training centre at Kisii University. The project will be funded by a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Kisii University will partner with other universities, research institutions and medical training centres within the Lake Victoria basin region. These institutions will benefit from the programs offered at the new centre.
“The training centre at Kisii University will be a regional hub for healthcare research, innovation and training of advanced-level medical personnel for Kenya and Eastern Africa countries,” Ongwae stated.
The team is also seeking to construct an oncology centre of excellence at the Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital (KUTTRH). The President and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta recently launched a world-class imaging facility.
KUKHA also plans to set up a new mental health facility for young persons under the age of 18 in Kenya.
“President Kenyatta assured the KUKHA team of the Government's commitment to ensure the partnership succeeds and thanked the alliance for the progress made in the implementation of the various programmes,” State House reported.
Governor Ongwae lauded Kenyatta for expediting the aforementioned plans, adding that it will not only accelerate the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage pillar of the Government's Big 4 Agenda but also benefit county governments.
