Friday, December 05, 2025 - United States Embassy Charge d’Affaires, Susan Burns, has assured Kenyans that health data shared under the new Ksh200 billion health security agreement between the US and Kenya will remain aggregated and non-identifiable.
Speaking on Friday, December 5th, 2025, Burns emphasized that the US will not access private patient records and that Kenya will continue to operate strictly under its own privacy laws.
“The government of Kenya will continue to abide by [its] privacy laws.”
“We are just putting on paper the similar policies that we’ve followed for many years, and any data-sharing going forward will be aggregated,” she said.
Burns explained that the information exchanged will be statistical, such as tracking the total number of people on antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), rather than data tied to individual names or details.
She further noted that a significant portion of US investment will strengthen Kenya’s health information systems.
“The U.S. will provide funding to support the scaling up of Kenya’s electronic medical record (EMR) systems and other health data systems,” Burns stated.
The initiative, she added, is designed to enhance Kenya’s sovereignty and self-reliance, not to create a parallel system for US surveillance.
Implementation details will be negotiated gradually, with device deployment continuing over time to support EMR rollout across health facilities.
Her clarification follows allegations raised by Adani whistleblower, Nelson Amenya, regarding potential risks in the agreement.
Amenya claimed that the deal will grant Washington real-time access to Kenya’s national health records, including sensitive information such as HIV status, TB treatment, and vaccination histories.
“It will give the U.S Government real-time access to all Kenyan health records - everything,” Amenya alleged.
He further claimed that disease specimens collected from Kenyan patients will be shared with up to ten American pharmaceutical companies.
Amenya highlighted a clause stipulating that the agreement will be governed by U.S. federal law, effectively sidelining Kenyan legislation in the event of a breach.
“Your data protection rights simply don’t exist under this agreement. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner becomes completely powerless,” he said.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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