By Dorothy Musyoka
Kenya has marked a major milestone in strengthening global health security with the inauguration of the newly expanded Polio Laboratory at the Centre for Virus Research (CVR), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).
The state-of-the-art facility was officially opened today by Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale, in a ceremony that brought together key national and international health partners.
According to th Ministry of Health, the laboratory will serve as both the National and Inter-country Reference Laboratory, providing vital support to Kenya and neighbouring countries.
“Serving as both the National and Inter-country Reference Laboratory, the facility will support Kenya and neighbouring countries Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Comoros in polio diagnostics and surveillance. It will also enhance in-country genomic sequencing and reduce turnaround times for outbreak detection,” noted MOH.
Backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Gates Foundation, eHealth Africa, the Ministry of Health, and other development partners, the project aligns with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) for health by expanding access to essential services at the grassroots level.
According to the ministry, the upgraded laboratory is already functioning as a multi-pathogen genomic platform, sequencing Mpox, measles, rubella, and enteric viruse, thus boosting preparedness against future health threats.
The CS was hosted by Dr. Elijah Songok, Acting Director General of KEMRI, Dr. Abdullahi Ali, Chairperson of the KEMRI Board and was joined by Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga, Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, and Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, the outgoing WHO Country Director.
The inauguration reaffirms Kenya’s commitment to finish the fight against polio while building stronger, resilient health systems under Universal Health Coverage (UHC).