Developing a Unified National Framework for Emergency Response: Kenya Hosts Multisectoral Stakeholder Meeting Under TDDAP-2

A four-day multisectoral stakeholder meeting is currently underway at the Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Hurlingham Hotel in Nairobi, bringing together experts from the human, animal, and environmental health sectors to review and refine Kenya’s draft National Multisectoral Surge Response Plan (NMSRP). The meeting aims to gather technical input to finalize a unified national framework for coordinating surge workforce capacities during public health emergencies.

This effort is part of the Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme 2 (TDDAP-2), under which AFENET received a sub-grant from Palladium International Ltd. in January 2025. The programme, running from January 2025 to March 2028, focuses on strengthening Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) workforce capacities in five priority countries: DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda. Its overarching goal is to save lives and reduce the impact of disease outbreaks and other health emergencies across Africa using a One Health approach.

Kenya’s 2024 Joint External Evaluation (JEE) highlighted major gaps in multisectoral workforce coordination, giving the country a score of 1 out of 5 due to the absence of a multisectoral workforce strategy. Key challenges included lack of workforce mapping, inadequate occupational safety frameworks, and weak coordination mechanisms.

In response, AFENET and Palladium are supporting the Government of Kenya to develop the NMSRP, which outlines how the country will mobilize, coordinate, and manage multisectoral surge workforce capacities during emergency response and recovery. The ongoing stakeholder meeting marks a critical step toward strengthening Kenya’s readiness to respond effectively to public health emergencies.