Counties Invest in Health Surveillance Systems

William Ruto (President of Kenya) officially handed over disease‑surveillance vehicles to all 47 county governments, signalling a nationwide boost to public health surveillance and emergency response capacity at the grassroots level. This initiative was described as part of the national commitment to strengthen health systems under the Bottom‑Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
In addition to logistics support, counties are rolling out modern digital surveillance tools. For instance, a recent nationwide plan — announced during the devolution conference in 2025 — aims to digitise health services across all counties, replacing paper‑based records, enabling telemedicine, and supporting real‑time data sharing across facilities. Meanwhile, a data‑modernization initiative supported by ICAP in Kenya is building a centralized data warehouse integrating surveillance data from multiple sources (clinical facilities, labs, county health departments), enhancing early detection and rapid response to public health threats.
Some counties are also embracing the One Health approach — linking human, animal and environmental health — to improve detection of zoonotic and emerging diseases. For example, Kajiado County recently adopted a One Health Care strategic plan (2025–2030), aimed at strengthening surveillance, environmental health, and disease‑prevention efforts under a coordinated model. Similarly, in Turkana County, health authorities and community‑based actors under a One Health‑oriented surveillance effort have increased cross‑border disease monitoring and community‑based surveillance mechanisms — particularly in border zones vulnerable to outbreaks.
These investments — spanning vehicles for field surveillance, digital data systems, and integrated One Health strategies — reflect a strengthening of Kenya’s public‑health architecture at county level. The combined effect: faster detection, better outbreak response, improved coordination across sectors, and ultimately, stronger preparedness for epidemics and public‑health emergencies.