China gives Kenya US$2 million for Ebola response and drought relief

Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan handed a US$2 million grant to the National Treasury in Nairobi on Thursday 8 October, Capital FM and The Star reported that day. Half of the money is for Ebola preparedness and response and half for drought mitigation.

National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo received the grant, and Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni attended the ceremony.

"We appreciate the Government of China for its continued support and commitment to strengthening our partnership in infrastructure development and socioeconomic initiatives," Kiptoo said, as quoted by Capital FM on 8 October.

The Ebola money is expected to support preparedness and response if further cases emerge. The drought share is meant to support government efforts to mitigate worsening dry conditions that threaten livelihoods and food security in vulnerable parts of the country.

The handover came two days after Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease on 6 October. The patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He travelled by road from Congo to Kampala, then flew to Nairobi on 3 October.

He was taken to Nairobi Hospital after arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and was later confirmed to have Ebola. He died on 5 October, The Star reported.

The Star quoted the Ministry of Health as saying it had screened more than 652,000 travellers and tested 267 suspected samples before the first case was confirmed. Nearly 5,000 health workers had also been trained in Ebola prevention and management, and the World Health Organization said Kenya's Ebola preparedness score had risen from 66 per cent in May to 82 per cent in July.