NAIROBI, Kenya- The government is mobilising more than Sh70 billion for Ebola preparedness and response, combining an initial Sh2.6 billion set aside by the National Treasury with expected support from the United States and the World Bank.
The Treasury expects Sh21 billion in US assistance and a further Sh51.8 billion in emergency financing from the World Bank.
Together with the initial allocation, the amounts would total about Sh75.4 billion.
The funding is expected to support surveillance, early detection, training community health workers and procuring essential medicines.
The World Bank financing is not solely for Ebola.
Kenya sought the emergency funding through the lender’s Rapid Response Option to address several risks, including Ebola, El Niño and high energy prices.
The World Bank support was previously reported as expected, pending completion of the financing framework.
A Sh21 billion allocation linked to the US-funded isolation facility at Laikipia Air Base is part of the planned response.
The facility has faced legal challenges, with court orders suspending its establishment amid concerns about the arrangement.
The funding plan comes as Kenya responds to its first confirmed imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola.
The patient, who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, died after testing positive, prompting contact tracing and quarantine measures.
