The Cabinet Secretary for Health Hon. Aden Duale was the Chief Guest during the launch of the Kenya National Public Health Institute [KNPHI] Key Policy Documents in a ceremony that brought together multiple stakeholders at a Nairobi Hotel on Friday morning in a move geared towards strengthening Kenya’s health security architecture.

The significant milestone achieved with the support from the Palladium through Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme Phase II (TDDAP2) and other partners saw 7 Documents including the National Strategic Plan [2023-2027] and National Action Plan for Health Security [NAPHS II;2026-2030] launched to signal renewed national commitment to strengthening health security systems and safeguarding the health of all Kenyans. 

In his remarks, CS Duale noted that the event marks a significant moment in  Kenya's health trajectory, a definitive transition from reactive public health paradigms to an anticipatory, unified, and resilient health security system which forms an integral part of the Government’s 
Universal Health Coverage [UHC].

He reaffirmed KNPHI's critical function in serving as a backbone of the country’s security architecture bringing together surveillance, laboratories, emergency operations, and technical expertise into one coordinated system to detect threats early, respond effectively, and recover quickly.

"Kenya has taken a deliberate leadership position in this space, guided by our commitments to the International Health Regulations and to Universal Health Coverage. These are deeply connected agendas.The strategic frameworks we are launching today define how we coordinate across sectors through a One Health approach, how we strengthen data systems for real-time decision-making, how we manage emergencies with precision, and how we ensure that investments translate into measurable impact" he said. 

Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Ms Mary Muthoni lauded KNPHI for this great initiative further calling upon all the relevant stakeholders to support the implementation of the frameworks whose true success will be measured by their impact on the lives of Kenyans through improved preparedness, faster outbreak detection, stronger response systems, and healthier communities.

Her counterpart in charge of the State Department for Environment and Climate Change Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng'eno stated that these are not merely documents but a strategic defence framework against environmental degradation, anchored in robust policy architectures for sustainable waste management.

"We have established an integrated, multi-sectoral approach that links the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority [KMSA] to national health surveillance systems, led by the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI), to strengthen early warning, preparedness, and response to disease outbreaks" remarked Dr Ng'eno

Others present during the function were 
WHO Acting Country Representative Neema Kimambo,Board Chairperson and Acting Director General of KNPHI Mr Paul Kariuki and Dr Kamene Kimenye respectively alongside representatives from Africa CDC, development partners, and stakeholders from national and county governments.

Other documents launched are the Kenya Digital Public Health Architecture and Roadmap,the Decision-Making Tree for Public Health Emergencies,the KNPHI Supportive Technical Assistance Framework,the KNPHI Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Framework and the KNPHI Risk Communications Toolkit