Despite outrage, Kenya and U.S. launch $1.6 billion health programme

NAIROBI, Kenya 

Kenya and the United States have officially launched a $1.6 billion health partnership after months of legal disputes delayed its implementation. The five-year agreement aims to strengthen disease surveillance, healthcare systems and emergency preparedness across the country.

The Kenyan and U.S. governments have finalized plans to implement the Kenya–U.S. Health Cooperation Partnership, ending months of uncertainty surrounding one of the country's largest health agreements.

Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo confirmed that both governments had agreed to proceed with the five-year programme, valued at $1.6 billion (KSh207 billion), following a series of court rulings and consultations.

The announcement came after a meeting between Kiptoo and U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Susan Burns in Nairobi.

The partnership faced significant legal hurdles after Kenya's High Court suspended its implementation in December 2025, citing constitutional concerns raised by petitioners.

In February 2026, the United States also paused implementation, stating it would respect the ongoing judicial process.

The Court of Appeal later lifted the freeze, ruling that prolonged delays could undermine essential health services and public health preparedness, effectively reopening the path for implementation.

The agreement is designed to support several critical areas of Kenya's health sector.

Key components include disease surveillance, outbreak response, laboratory system improvements, medical supply distribution, frontline health workforce transition and the expansion of digital health systems.

Officials say the programme will help strengthen Kenya's ability to respond to future health emergencies while improving access to healthcare services nationwide.

The deal has faced sustained opposition from civil society groups, legal experts and some lawmakers.

Critics argued that the agreement was negotiated without sufficient public participation or parliamentary oversight.

Among the most prominent opponents was Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, who questioned the transparency of the process and the executive's authority to commit the country to such a significant international arrangement without broader scrutiny.

Concerns were also raised about the handling of sensitive health information.

Organizations including the Consumers Federation of Kenya and the Katiba Institute warned that provisions related to data sharing could potentially expose confidential patient records, including HIV and tuberculosis data.

Health rights group KELIN also expressed concern over clauses granting legal immunity to certain U.S. personnel and contractors, arguing that such protections could limit accountability in the event of disputes or alleged misuse of data.

U.S. officials have repeatedly insisted that Kenya's data protection laws will remain fully applicable and that any information sharing would be aggregated and compliant with privacy regulations.

Beyond healthcare, officials highlighted the broader economic relationship between Kenya and the United States.

Kiptoo noted that American companies continue to contribute significantly to employment, investment and skills development in Kenya, reinforcing the strategic partnership between the two countries.

While implementation is now set to begin, debate over the agreement's transparency, financial obligations and legal safeguards is likely to continue as the programme rolls out over the next five years.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 9/6/2026

 

Top African referee Omar Artan denied entry to USA for World Cup

ISTANBUL, Turkey 

Somali referee Omar Artan has been denied entry into America, where he was due to referee at the World Cup this summer.

The 34-year-old had travelled to the United States via Kenya and Türkiye, granted a diplomatic passport in Nairobi in an attempt to help his travel.

Somalia is one of the countries on the travel ban list brought in by President Trump.

Despite FIFA claiming last week that Artan’s visa situation had been ‘fully resolved and he will now be available to officiate at the FIFA World Cup,’ he has been denied entry into the US.

The referee had a valid visa and the diplomatic passport, but has flown back to Istanbul.

Ciise Aden Abshir, senior advisor to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, told AFP: ‘Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community.

‘Artan had a valid visa for the US. He has flown back to Istanbul, where he has been staying.

‘Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play.’

Artan has been a FIFA referee since 2018 and has officiated at the African Cup of Nations and the CAF Champions League.

He was named the CAF men’s referee of the year in 2025 and became the first Somalian to be selected to referee at the World Cup finals this year.

The Iran team has also faced issues ahead of the World Cup, with players only issued with visas last week.

Ramaphosa hails Lenacapavir roll out as turning point in HIV fight

MPUMALANGA, South Africa 

A twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention drug has arrived in South Africa. The rollout of the drug, lenacapavir, is underway in the country that needs it the most, about a-year-and-a-half after US aid cuts hit some of its HIV programmes. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told crowds gathered for its launch at Lilian Ngoyi stadium in Secunda, Mpumalanga province, that the introduction of lenacapavir was a turning point in South Africa’s fight against HIV.

"Now we have definitely moved away from denialism to treatment and now to elimination,” he said. South Africa carries the highest burden of HIV globally, with over 8 million people living with the virus. 

It is hoped that lenacapavir will help curb new infections, which range from 140,000 to 170,000 annually.

The first batch of 37,920 doses is being distributed across 360 health facilities in six provinces that have high HIV rates. 

Some South African civil society organizations, however, call the rollout plan inadequate, asserting that at least 2 million doses are necessary to significantly affect new infection rates.

The government has acquired 912,000 doses, sufficient for 456,000 people, funded by a $29 million Global Fund grant. Lenacapavir is also expected to significantly lower pill fatigue and missed doses, typical challenges for traditional oral prevention drug users. 

Growing up witnessing the devastating effects of HIV in her family and community in South Africa pushed Olwam Plaatjie to start using preventive HIV medications at 16.

The 19-year-old is one of the thousands of South Africans who signed up for clinical trials of lenacapavir. "I’ve seen people default on their medication and get very sick," she said. "That made me realise that one day it could be me, so I decided to prevent that and protect myself because people don’t disclose their status. So that’s why I made the decision to take preventative measures." 

South Africa is initially targeting high-risk groups, including injectable drug users, sex workers, transgender people, adolescent women aged 15-24 and pregnant or nursing women with the new drug.

Kenya’s former chief justice arrested during park construction protest

NAIROBI, Kenya 

Kenya’s former Chief Justice David Maraga said he was arrested on Monday alongside other activists protesting planned construction inside Nairobi National Park.

Police fired tear gas canisters at the protesters who were marching outside the park while carrying banners with messages denouncing land grabs.

Maraga was detained and later released while staging a sit-in on a major road outside the national park’s main gate. He was wearing a green T-shirt similar to those worn by other activists.

The police have yet to comment on the reason for his arrest.

Maraga wrote on X that he was arrested while heading to present a petition to the Kenya Wildlife Service.

“Our national heritage and environment must be safeguarded from greed and unnecessary destruction without public participation,” he said.

Hundreds of activists joined the protest against the planned construction inside the park and the relocation of an orphanage, calling it an attempt to grab public land.

Kenya has experienced incidents of land grabbing in the past, and environmentalists have often spoken out when parks and other green spaces are encroached upon.

Amnesty International in Kenya expressed solidarity with the protesters and called for members of the public to be included in decisions affecting the country’s environmental heritage.

“We want to categorically state that Nairobi National Park is not for sale; our public spaces, our environment, and our rights cannot be traded away behind closed doors,” the rights group said.

The Kenya Wildlife Service on Sunday defended the construction as part of a plan to expand the orphanage and improve the visitor experience, effectively dismissing claims of land grabbing.

Kenya former Deputy President's impeachment upheld as court dismisses petition

NAIROBI, Kenya 

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has suffered a major legal setback after the High Court dismissed his petition challenging the impeachment that removed him from office in October 2024.

In a detailed judgment delivered on Monday, Justices Eric Ogolla, Anthony Mrima and Frida Mugambi rejected the key arguments advanced by Gachagua and upheld the impeachment process conducted by Parliament, dealing a significant blow to his bid to be reinstated as Deputy President.

The bench first confirmed that the court had jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter before proceeding to address the substantive issues raised in the petition.

On allegations of bias against the Speaker of the National Assembly, the judges found that Gachagua had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the claims, dismissing them as unsubstantiated.

The court also upheld the public participation process that preceded the impeachment, finding that Parliament had provided adequate notice through advertisements published in both English and Kiswahili newspapers and had offered citizens a genuine opportunity to submit their views.

"We are satisfied that the public participation conducted during the impeachment process met the constitutional threshold," the bench held.

On the nomination and approval of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, the court noted that the proceedings were televised and conducted transparently, and held that public participation was not constitutionally required for Parliament's approval of Kindiki's nomination.

The bench further declined to declare Standing Order No. 64 unconstitutional. The judges held that the central issue was not the seven-day timeline provided under the Standing Orders but rather how Parliament conducts its proceedings.

They found the seven-day period to be constitutional while observing that Parliament remains free to review or amend its timelines if it considers it necessary.

On the broader question of the legal framework governing the removal of a Deputy President, the court acknowledged that Article 150 of the Constitution lacks a comprehensive statutory framework, a gap the bench said leaves fundamental procedural questions to be resolved by the courts and potentially undermines institutional certainty and public confidence.

The judges consequently urged Parliament to urgently enact legislation providing a clear and dedicated framework for the removal of a Deputy President under Article 150.

However, the court was emphatic that the absence of such legislation does not invalidate the impeachment proceedings already undertaken against Gachagua, noting that Parliament had relied on the constitutional provisions under Articles 144 and 145 to safeguard the former Deputy President's rights during the process.

On the question of timelines, the bench found that while Standing Order 78(2) prescribes a 10-day period for investigations by a special committee, neither the Constitution nor the Senate Standing Orders provide a specific timeline for impeachment proceedings conducted in the Senate plenary.

The Senate's decision to adopt a 10-day timeline for plenary proceedings was therefore a procedural choice and did not amount to a constitutional violation.

Boat with 60 migrants capsizes near Malta, at least 10 bodies recovered

MALTA, Italy

A boat carrying dozens of migrants attempting to cross the sea from Africa to Europe reportedly capsized in the central Mediterranean Sea on Sunday.

The incident occurred about 45 nautical miles south east of Malta, the Italian Coast Guard said in a note to the press.

Italy’s Coast Guard said one of their search and rescue vessels was sent in the afternoon on Sunday to assist in the operations after being asked by the Maltese authorities.

The boat that capsized was carrying about 60 passengers, and it departed from Libyan shores.

A fishing vessel in the area recovered 48 people.

A plane belonging to an NGO operating search and rescue efforts in the Mediterranean Sea also said the migrants had departed from Libya, and confirmed the same number of migrants without providing the source for their information.

SeaWatch said there were 11 migrants missing.

Italy’s coast guard on Sunday night said they had recovered 10 bodies, and search efforts were still on.

Zelensky criticises 'vile' Chornobyl drone strike ahead of London talks

LONDON, England 

Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the UK ahead of talks in Downing Street later on European support for Ukraine with Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Ahead of the meeting, the Ukrainian president accused Russia of a deliberate and "vile" attack, after Kyiv officials said a drone had struck a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel near the Chornobyl nuclear plant in the north of Ukraine.

They said a fire was put out and there were no injuries, with radiation levels remaining stable.

Separately, at least three people were killed in a Russian strike in a village outside Zaporizhzhia in the south-east of the country, authorities said.

Zaporizhzhia has come under relentless Russian attacks recently, with at least two people killed there on Saturday.

The Russian strike on Chornobyl "partially destroyed" a spent nuclear fuel storage building, according to Ukraine's state-owned nuclear operator, Enerhoatom.

The operator said there were no injuries, and a fire in the building was put out, adding that radiation remained at a normal level.

The body also criticised Moscow for what it called a deliberate threat to nuclear safety, in words echoed by Zelensky.

"Russia deliberately struck this particular nuclear infrastructure facility," Zelensky said in a post on X, describing the building as an "as extremely critical infrastructure facility" and the attack as "vile".

He went on to detail Russian overnight strikes in 13 regions, adding that Moscow had launched 88 missiles, more than 3,250 drones and 1,800 guided bombs over the past week.

On Saturday, Ukraine targeted St Petersburg and the surrounding area as the city hosted the final day of a major economic forum, in a drone attack described as "unprecedented" by Russian authorities.

Days earlier, Kyiv had attacked the outskirts of the same city - some 1,000km (620 miles) from Ukraine - as Russian President Vladimir Putin's flagship forum was getting started, sending a large plume of black smoke over the city's skyline.

In the four years since Moscow's invasion began, Ukraine has developed its defence sector, with Kyiv now able to regularly hit targets within Russia.

The three Western powers represented at Downing Street on Sunday - the so-called E3 group - are some of Kyiv's strongest allies. The UK and France lead the "coalition of the willing" initiative to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a future potential peace process.

Announcing his arrival in the UK on Sunday afternoon in a post on X, Zelenskyy said the main focus of the leaders' talks would be "our defence in the war, greater cooperation for the security of all of Europe in the area of air defence, and our shared view of diplomatic prospects".

"Europe must be part of the negotiations and must be strong," he added.

The group had previously convened in London in December, at a time when the US was pushing hard for Moscow and Kyiv to sign up quickly to a plan to end the war in Ukraine.

Ousmane Sonko warns opponents after being elected PASTEF party chief

DAKAR, Senegal 

Senegal's Speaker of parliament, Ousmane Sonko, won re-election Saturday as head of ruling party amid a political crisis sparked by their falling-out.

Sonko alluded to his split with Faye in a speech broadcast by the Pastef party.

"Revolutions can be hijacked, co-opted or stripped of their substance when they lack both a clear doctrine and an organisation capable of ensuring that change is sustained over the long term. And that is why this congress is historic, two years after we assumed the highest offices of state," said Sonko.

Tensions emerged in July 2025, when the then-prime minister sharply attacked Faye, alleging a "problem of authority" in the country.

In May, the president took a shot at Sonko, saying the party needed to be "depersonalised" from any leader dominating it.

The two had disagreed on how to tackle Senegal's debt: Faye is open to discussions with the International Monetary Fund on a new loan programme, while Sonko advocated a sovereign approach.

Local elections are scheduled for 2027, ahead of a presidential election in 2029.

While Pastef's majority in the National Assembly can censure the government, from November, following two years in office, Faye will also be authorised to dissolve the parliament to try to secure a new majority.

Sonko reassured his supporters of fighting back to reinstate the strength of the PASTEF party. 

He also hinted at running for the highest office even as the legislative elections near.

"Our revolution is currently under threat precisely because of these external interventions; not everything that is happening in Senegal at the moment is solely down to internal factors. I will return to this in greater detail later on. But I also want to reassure you that, this time, no attempt to sabotage this revolution will succeed because the people, standing shoulder to shoulder with Pastef, will provide the necessary guarantees so that we can finally liberate our country," Sonko said.

Local elections are scheduled for 2027, ahead of a presidential election in 2029.

While Pastef's majority in the National Assembly can censure the government, from November, following two years in office, Faye will also be authorised to dissolve the parliament to try to secure a new majority.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 6/6/2026

 

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 5/6/2026