Kenyan court halts US health deal over data privacy fears

A Kenyan court has issued a temporary injunction blocking implementation of the country's $1.6 billion health cooperation agreement with the United States, citing concerns over citizen data protection.

The High Court ruling prevents Kenya's government from transferring, sharing, or disseminating any medical, epidemiological, or sensitive personal health information under the framework signed earlier this month. The decision follows a legal challenge by the Consumers Federation of Kenya, which argued the agreement threatens citizens with "lasting privacy violations, stigma and potential misuse of their information."

The lobby group's petition criticized the deal's approval process as "opaque and constitutionally improper," raising questions about transparency in the negotiations.

The agreement forms part of President Donald Trump's America First Global Health Strategy, designed to boost procurement of US goods through foreign-assistance programs. In Kenya, funding would support disease-tracking initiatives for HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, polio, and malaria, while accelerating deployment of a national electronic medical-record system.

Kenya's Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga has maintained that personal medical records will not be shared with American authorities.

Similar US health partnerships have been established across Africa, with Uganda securing $1.7 billion and Lesotho receiving $232 million. Washington anticipates finalizing multi-year bilateral health agreements with dozens of additional recipient countries in coming weeks.