AMREF Health Africa Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Githinji Gitahi said the identification of imported cases highlighted the need for early detection

Health experts have called for stronger border surveillance and better protection of frontline health workers as Kenya steps up preparedness against the threat of Ebola.

Speaking during the Africa Health Collaborative Annual Convening 2026 in Nairobi, Gitahi said Kenya had achieved 99.5 per cent contact tracing but identified border surveillance as a key area requiring attention.

“The first gap is border surveillance. So far, there’s no other gap that I have seen,” he said.

Gitahi said surveillance at points of entry should help identify suspected cases early and ensure those affected receive appropriate medical care.

“The particularly important case should have been identified before they cross over so that they get care. It’s not so that you avoid transmission. It’s not so that you chase them away. It’s so that the person is provided care, and then you avoid transmission,” he said.

He also raised concern about health workers contracting the disease, calling for consistent infection prevention measures and adequate personal protective equipment in healthcare facilities.

Gitahi said preparedness should be continuous rather than activated only after an outbreak begins.

“Preparedness starts before the infection. And I think the preparedness should have been ongoing,” he said.

He compared outbreak preparedness to fire safety, saying protective equipment and procedures must be in place before an emergency occurs.

“You don’t buy the extinguisher when the fire breaks out. And you don’t service the extinguisher when the fire is ongoing,” he said.

Gitahi called for infection prevention protocols to be maintained in all hospitals, not only facilities directly involved in treating an initial case.

“We don’t know whether it’s the equipment, whether it’s the procedure. And that should be continuous, and that must be continuous in every other hospital, not anywhere the index case was,” he said.

He also emphasised the role of accessible, community-led primary healthcare in detecting illnesses early and preventing infections from spreading.

“If today you have an infection, or you feel like you may have a disease like Ebola, where do you go? That’s primary healthcare,” he said.

The convening brings together universities, health sector partners and innovators to explore solutions to healthcare challenges, with a focus on young Africans.

Amref International University Vice-Chancellor Professor Joachim Osur said the collaboration, involving nine institutions of higher learning and the Mastercard Foundation, seeks to improve employment opportunities for young people while supporting health innovations.

Osur said the initiative provides mentorship and seed funding to help young people develop, test and scale solutions, including innovations in disease surveillance, health information management and diagnosis.

“The need for countries to strengthen global health security, to put in structures in place to fund and to get those innovations that can help us to quickly track diseases, quickly train people, quickly support communities,” he said.

The partnership aims to create three million employment opportunities for young people across Africa by 2030 through direct employment and enterprises developed from supported innovations.