Kenya has allocated 30 acres of land and Ksh741 million to support the establishment of the World Health Organization Regional Office Of Africa(WHO-AFRO) Regional Emergency Operations and Logistics Hub.
The project, which is part of the Operations Support and Logistics pillar, aims to bridge a critical gap in public health emergencies in the region.
In a meeting with Norwegian officials led by the Health Ambassador John Aren Rottingen, Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni noted that the hub will improve emergency responses across the continent.
Currently, the WHO-AFRICA is managing over 142 ongoing emergencies including disease outbreaks and humanitarian crises.
The ministry noted that countries in Africa should prioritize healthcare emergencies
Most operations and supply chain management and logistics have been unfunded, despite constituting over 70% of emergency response efforts.
The establishment of the hub in Kenya promises not only to enhance regional coordination but also to become a centre of excellence for emergency operations.
This is not the first time that the land has been transferred to WHO.
In the last days of Uhuru Kenyatta's administration, the Kenyatta University management objected to the move which saw Vice Chancellor Paul Wainaina suspended.
The government had donated 200 acres of KU land to WHO to build the state-of-the-art emergency hub.
Uhuru had defended the government's decision to award the global health organisation land and Ksh500 million.
Wainaina was later reinstated after a court order in November 2022.
