President William Ruto has dismissed claims that Kenya was steered or pressured into signing its new health partnership with the United States, insisting that the negotiations began in Nairobi and were driven by the Kenyan government.
Speaking at the National and County Governments Coordinating Summit at State House on Wednesday, the President said reports suggesting Washington initiated the agreement were inaccurate. “We did as a government request the United States to support us in this space, and they acceded to our request,” he told delegates. He added that he had proposed the timing of the signing to coincide with a separate diplomatic meeting on peace efforts in the Great Lakes region.
Ruto described a months-long process in which U.S. State Department officials travelled to Nairobi for detailed negotiations. According to him, the signing ceremony in Washington on 4 December simply formalised what both sides had already settled.
He stressed that Attorney General Dorcas Oduor had reviewed the deal before it was signed and confirmed that it complied with Kenyan privacy laws. “All legal issues were cleared,” he said, insisting the agreement contained no gaps that could expose Kenya’s health data.
The President also praised officials in the Ministry of Health — including CS Aden Duale, PS Ouma Oluga and the Attorney General’s office — for what he described as diligent work that brought the framework to completion. He framed the partnership as the product of long-standing cooperation between the two countries.
“I do not believe the United States would seek to take advantage of us,” Ruto said, arguing that the two nations have sustained ties in trade, defence, tourism and health for many years. He suggested that those claiming Kenya had been misled misunderstood how bilateral relations work.
Ruto insisted that Kenyan institutions would remain in charge of any benefits that arise from the deal, calling it a step toward strengthening the country’s health systems rather than outsourcing them.
Court Challenge
Ruto’s comments come as the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) challenges the agreement in the High Court. The group argues that the Ksh 200 billion health cooperation framework — signed in Washington by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — breached constitutional requirements and lacked adequate transparency.
In its court filings, COFEK raises concerns about the safety of Kenyan medical and epidemiological data if transferred abroad. “Once Kenya’s medical and epidemiological data is transferred overseas, the harm becomes permanent and irreversible,” the group said. It warned that Kenyan regulators would have no authority to monitor or restrict how the information might be used abroad.
COFEK argued that the risks could include “lasting privacy violations” and potential misuse of sensitive information, adding that the seriousness of the issue required immediate judicial intervention.
The case is expected to test the balance between Kenya’s growing international partnerships and the constitutional protections that govern public participation, privacy and data management at home.