Kenyan Court Issues Suspension Order of Health Deal with U.S.

(MENAFN) A Kenyan court has issued an emergency suspension of a multibillion-dollar health partnership with Washington following allegations that the arrangement could compromise the medical privacy of citizens across the East African nation.

The High Court intervention targets a five-year, $1.6 billion health framework finalized in the American capital on December 4. Both nations had promoted the partnership as a revolutionary approach to healthcare assistance, funneling resources straight to government agencies while requiring recipient countries to boost their own health budgets.

The legal challenge originated from Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK), a nonprofit advocacy organization that raised alarms about potential American access to confidential patient information, including individuals' HIV diagnoses. According to the organization's Wednesday announcement, specific provisions within the pact remain vague and require either explicit clarification or complete removal.

The consumer rights group warned that the framework threatens Kenyan citizens with "lasting privacy violations, stigma, and potential misuse of their information."

"Kenya should cooperate boldly but safeguard fiercely: partnership must not translate into surrender of sovereignty, consumer rights, or control of national health data," the organization declared in its statement.

Judge Bahati Mwamuye issued Wednesday evening's judicial order, mandating an immediate freeze on any provisions enabling the exchange or transmission of medical, epidemiological, or otherwise sensitive personal information. The suspension remains effective until court proceedings scheduled for February 12, 2026.

At last week's signing event, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the initiative as groundbreaking cooperation between the two nations.

Kenyan President William Ruto has attempted to calm public concerns, assuring citizens that domestic legislation will control data management practices. He stated that the attorney general scrutinized the framework "with a fine-tooth comb" to guarantee protective measures exist.

Washington has reportedly established comparable arrangements with Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, and Uganda.

More than 50 advocacy organizations have issued a collective warning through correspondence directed at African leaders, cautioning that proposed American healthcare aid frameworks risk eroding national independence. The groups allege these agreements grant Washington "expansive access" to health information systems and pathogen databases while providing insufficient privacy protections and failing to guarantee reciprocal advantages such as vaccine access, technological knowledge sharing, or domestic production capabilities.

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