President William Ruto on May 20, 2024 invited leading health training institutions such as Harvard in the United States to create exchange programs with Kenyan universities.

Speaking during his visit at the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, President Ruto called upon institutions such Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Columbia, Duke and Emory universities to create exchange programs with Kenyan universities.

“To do this, we invite America’s leading health training institutions such as Perelman Centre of Advanced Medicine, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Columbia, Duke, and Emory University in Atlanta to create exchange programs with Kenyan universities. 

“Through such collaboration, we aim to expand learning horizons and deepen insights into emerging threats, including zoonotic diseases,” said Ruto.

In addition, the president noted that the United States of America has been Kenya’s true ally in healthcare — from infrastructure, pioneering research to the tackling of infectious diseases. 

He also witnessed the signing of MoUs between CDC and Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Ministry of Health and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in developing a Sustainability Roadmap for Kenya’s HIV Programme.

President Ruto also emphasized the need for increasing funding of KEMRI to ensure better product development and improved research.

“Increasing grants to KEMRI will help establish strong intellectual property and scientific entrepreneurship frameworks. 

“This will support Kenya’s focus on product development, a key component of our pharmaceutical and biomedical manufacturing sector, aligned with BETA priorities,” he said. 

The president was accompanied by Health cabinet secretary Susan Nakhumicha, who signed several MoUs with CDC on behalf of the government of Kenya.

“On the first day of the State visit to the US, I was honoured to join H.E President William Ruto on a tour of the US Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta,” said Nakhumicha. 

“Our collaboration with the US CDC has been instrumental including supporting our Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) to conduct sentinel surveillance for acute febrile illnesses, among other key areas. 

“CDC has supported the Government of Kenya and local and international partners in efforts to strengthen prevention and control of HIV and TB besides providing technical and financial support through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR),” she added.

This was after President William Ruto left the country on Sunday May 19, 2024 evening for a state visit to the United States.

The visit is historic as it is the first state visit by a Kenyan Head of State in two decades and the first by an African Head of State since 2008.

Themed ‘Partnership for Prosperity’, the visit aims to bolster shared commitments to economic growth, democratic values, peace and security, and reflects the strategic importance of Kenya to the US.