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Treat all deadly diseases as a security threat
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, saliva and sweat from an infected individual.
What you need to know:
- Communities living near major entry points often worry that disease may arrive before government information does.
- A rumour of Ebola, cholera, Mpox, influenza or another emerging disease can create anxiety among border communities.
Globalisation has made Kenya more connected, but also more exposed. People, goods and services now move faster across borders than ever before. The same routes that sustain our economy — airports, ports, highways, buses, trucks, markets, schools and workplaces — can also carry infectious diseases.
This is why Kenya must stop treating disease outbreaks as hospital matters alone. They are also questions of national security, public trust, diplomacy and economic protection. Kenya is one of East Africa’s busiest gateways. Mombasa links the country to global trade, while Jomo Kenyatta International Airport connects us to the world.
Border points such as Busia, Malaba, Namanga, Moyale and Lunga Lunga connect us to neighbouring countries. The Great North Road and other transport corridors move food, fuel, people and goods daily. These routes are lifelines of commerce, but during an outbreak they can quickly become corridors of fear.
That fear is real. Communities living near major entry points often worry that disease may arrive before government information does. A rumour of Ebola, cholera, Mpox, influenza or another emerging disease can create anxiety among traders, transport workers, health workers, parents and border communities. Where government communication is slow or unclear, fear fills the gap. This issue is personal to me.
Disease threats
It reminds me of my International Relations professor, who taught us that disease has always shaped power, borders and societies. From the Black Death, the Cocoliztli epidemic and the Spanish flu to Bundibugyo Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks, history shows that microbes can disrupt economies, diplomacy and human movement.
I also saw this reality during COVID-19, when I was confined to a hotel space in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as health protocols took control of ordinary life. Around the same period, we were unable to repatriate the body of a Kenyan because infectious disease handling protocols restricted movement, transport and burial procedures.
That experience made one thing painfully clear: disease control is not only about hospitals and laboratories. It also touches dignity, family, culture, diplomacy and national planning. Kenya already has a legal and policy foundation for preparedness. The Constitution of Kenya, 2010, guarantees every person the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
This right should not be understood only as access to treatment after illness. It must also mean prevention, early warning, preparedness, public information and protection from avoidable health threats. The Public Health Act and Ministry of Health protocols, including Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response systems, give Kenya tools to detect, report and respond to disease threats.
Emergency preparedness
But laws and protocols are not enough. They must be supported by trained personnel, functioning laboratories, county resources, emergency supplies, isolation capacity and honest public communication. Kenya cannot act alone. The United Nations provides a platform for global solidarity.
The World Health Organization gives technical guidance and international health regulations. The African Union and Africa CDC strengthen continental preparedness, while the East African Community is vital for cross-border surveillance. Border health cannot work if Kenya acts alone while neighbouring countries follow different rules.
The United States has also been an important partner in Kenya’s infectious disease response through support for surveillance, laboratories, HIV, TB, malaria, influenza monitoring, field epidemiology and emergency preparedness. This cooperation should continue, but it must build Kenyan capacity rather than create dependency. Data sharing, specimen handling and emergency support must remain transparent, lawful and respectful of Kenya’s sovereignty.
The real test is whether citizens in Busia, Malaba, Namanga, Moyale or along the Great North Road can trust that government knows what is happening, is telling the truth and is acting in time.
The author is a scholar-diplomat Diplomacy and Foreign Policy Expert
