Ruto’s Govt Allocates Contested Kenyatta University Land to WHO
Ruto’s government has allocated 30 acres of land and Ksh741 million to support the development of the World Health Organization Regional Office Of Africa (WHO-AFRO) Regional Emergency Operations and Logistics Hub.
This project, which is part of the Operations Support and Logistics pillar, seeks to close a critical gap in the region’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
In a meeting with Norwegian officials headed by Health Ambassador John Aren Rottingen, Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni stated that the hub will enhance emergency responses throughout the continent.
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WHO-AFRICA is currently administering over 142 ongoing emergencies, such as disease outbreaks and humanitarian crises.
The ministry emphasized that African nations must prioritize healthcare emergencies.
Despite constituting over 70% of emergency response efforts, the majority of operations, supply chain management, and logistics have been unfunded.
The establishment of the gateway in Kenya has the potential to not only improve regional coordination but also become an emergency operations center of excellence.
This is not the first time that WHO has acquired this land.
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In the final days of Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, the administration of Kenyatta University objected to the suspension of Vice Chancellor Paul Wainaina.
The government donated 200 acres of KU land to WHO for the construction of the cutting-edge emergency gateway.
Uhuru defended the government’s decision to grant land and Ksh500 million to the global health organization.
Wainaina was reinstated in November 2022, following a court order.
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Ruto’s Govt Allocates Contested Kenyatta University Land to WHO