By Eddah Waithaka
Kenya has dramatically upgraded its capacity to fight polio and other infectious diseases with the inauguration of a state-of-the-art genomic sequencing laboratory at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).
The expanded facility, officially opened by Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale on Tuesday, eliminates the need to send poliovirus samples abroad for analysis, a process that previously caused critical delays of over 35 days.
The lab will now deliver results in a matter of hours, enabling a rapid response to potential outbreaks.
“For decades, sequencing of polioviruses required shipment to South Africa or the United States,” said Prof. Elijah Songok, KEMRI’s Acting Director General.
“These delays limited the speed of surveillance and compromised the outbreak response in the region. This laboratory will dramatically reduce turnaround times and cement Kenya’s leadership in the region.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation financed and supported the project, which expands a lab that has served as a regional reference center for Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and the Comoros for over 20 years.
Cabinet Secretary Duale highlighted the lab’s role in the government’s broader health strategy. “This inauguration is aligned with our Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) for Health,” Duale said.
“Strong disease surveillance and local diagnostic capacity are critical to Universal Health Coverage.”
Beyond polio, the new laboratory will function as a multi-pathogen genomic platform. It already sequences MPOX, measles, rubella, and enteric viruses, strengthening Kenya’s defenses against future epidemics and pandemics.
The government also announced plans to further bolster the facility by establishing local production of liquid nitrogen to support cell culture work and pathogen preservation, a key component of the One-Health approach that links human and veterinary medicine.
Prof. Songok committed to sustaining the advanced facility and requested government support to transition the highly skilled staff from temporary to permanent appointments, ensuring the long-term security of this national asset.
