Kenya and US Forge Historic Health Partnership Amid Data Concerns

Fri Dec 05 2025 13:48:36 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Kenya has officially entered a five-year health agreement with the United States valued at $2.5 billion, targeted at combating infectious diseases. However, fears surrounding data privacy and transparency have emerged.

In a significant development, Kenya has signed a five-year health deal with the United States, marking the first substantial health cooperation since the former Trump administration's foreign aid policy changes. The $2.5 billion agreement focuses on preventing and treating infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, but has raised concerns over data security, particularly regarding the sharing of sensitive patient information. Despite assurances from Kenyan officials that only de-identified and aggregated data will be shared, public apprehension remains high. This agreement is the first step in a series of similar initiatives expected across other African nations.

Kenya has signed a historic five-year health agreement with the US, the first such pact since Donald Trump's administration overhauled its foreign aid programme.

The $2.5 billion (£1.9 billion) deal is aimed at combating infectious diseases in Kenya, with similar agreements expected to be rolled out in other African countries aligned with Trump's broader foreign policy goals.

The government-to-government deal aims to boost transparency and accountability but has raised fears it could give the US real-time access to critical health databases, including sensitive patient information.

Kenya's Health Minister, Aden Duale, sought to allay such fears, saying only de-identified, aggregated data would be shared.

On his first day in office in January, Trump announced a freeze on foreign aid as part of a government spending review, dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and cut billions in aid to poorer countries. This has led to a drastic reduction in the availability of some drugs in developing countries.

In September, the Trump administration introduced an America First Global Health Strategy, making aid dependent on negotiations that officials said would cut waste and advance US priorities.

Under the deal with Kenya, the US will contribute $1.7 billion, with the Kenyan government covering $850 million and gradually taking on more responsibility. The deal targets the prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis, maternal care, polio eradication, and infectious disease outbreak response and preparedness.

Signing the agreement with Kenya's President William Ruto, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as a landmark agreement, praising Kenya for its role in leading a UN-backed mission against gangs in Haiti.

Despite the optimistic tone from officials, there have been calls from some Kenyans for full disclosure of the agreement due to concerns about data privacy.

Minister Duale dismissed these fears, asserting that Kenya's health data is a national strategic asset, and US officials have yet to address the data privacy concerns brought forth by the Kenyan public.

As more African countries are expected to sign similar agreements by the end of the year, this partnership is being closely watched both for its health implications and its potential data privacy issues.