Kenya has defended its newly signed health cooperation agreement with the United States, dismissing growing concerns that the 25-year pact could expose citizens’ health data to foreign control.

Health Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga, who led Kenya’s delegation in the high-level negotiations in Washington, said the framework was carefully crafted to safeguard national interests and entrench long-term stability in the health sector.

Oluga said every clause in the agreement was negotiated to align with Kenya’s priorities, not donor influence.
“We promoted the best interests of our people, ensuring service certainty and alignment with the government agenda in every paragraph,” he said.

The pact, signed on Thursday in Washington and witnessed by President William Ruto and US President Donald Trump, directs investment into key state institutions, including the Social Health Authority (SHA), the Digital Health Agency and the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA).

According to Oluga, the deal marks a decisive shift from past donor-driven, short-term project cycles to a long-horizon partnership designed to strengthen core public health systems.
“This cooperation framework is quite a departure from the past and will have a lasting impact on health for all,” he said.

But the agreement has sparked heated debate back home. Civil society groups have warned that the pact could compromise Kenya’s control over sensitive health information as the two countries deepen data-driven collaboration over the next quarter century.

Some critics argue that the government has not fully disclosed the breadth of data-sharing obligations, raising questions about privacy, sovereignty and long-term security.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale dismissed the concerns, saying the deal places government institutions—not external actors—at the centre of investment in primary healthcare, disease prevention and supply-chain systems.

The framework also includes mutual accountability measures and domestic financing commitments meant to stabilise health services as Kenya scales up universal health coverage under SHA.

The government insists the pact will strengthen, not weaken, Kenya’s health infrastructure. But with the agreement taking effect immediately, the tug-of-war over data security and transparency is only beginning.