Whistleblower Nelson Amenya Raises Alarm Over Alleged Kenya–US Health Data Agreement
Nelson Amenya—the whistleblower known for previously flagging concerns over the controversial Adani-linked procurement issue—has issued fresh allegations involving a reported health security pact between Kenya and the United States.
Speaking on Tuesday, December 2, Amenya claimed that President William Ruto’s administration is in talks with President Donald Trump’s government over a long-term agreement that he says would dramatically expand US access to Kenya’s national health systems.
According to Amenya, the proposed deal spans 25 years and would give American authorities “real-time access to all Kenyan health records,” including sensitive information such as HIV status, tuberculosis treatment histories and children’s vaccination data.
“It will give the US government real-time access to all Kenyan health records, including your HIV status, TB treatment, your children’s vaccination records—everything,” Amenya alleged in his statement.
He further claimed that biological samples collected from Kenyan patients—including disease specimens—would be shared with “around ten US pharmaceutical companies” without guarantees of reciprocal benefits for Kenya.
Amenya said the text of the alleged draft agreement contains a clause stipulating that the deal would be governed exclusively by US federal law, which he argued would supersede Kenya’s own legal protections.
“Your data protection rights simply don’t exist under this agreement. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner becomes completely powerless to protect you,” he said, insisting the arrangement would violate the Kenya Data Protection Act, the Health Act, and the Digital Health Act.
Amenya added that the United States would reportedly secure 24-hour system access to Kenya’s national health databases and retain the authority to conduct “random audits” at up to five per cent of the country’s health facilities.
He also claimed that the US would receive “free and fast access” to Kenyan disease specimens for vaccine research and development, again without binding obligations to share benefits or profits.
“We are talking about the medical privacy of 50+ million Kenyans being handed over to a foreign government under foreign law,” he commented, calling the alleged deal “unconstitutional.”
In his most serious allegation, Amenya suggested that failure by the Kenyan government to comply with the agreement could result in “heavy funding cuts,” though he did not specify which programmes or sectors might be affected.
As of now, the Kenyan government and US officials have not publicly commented on the claims, and no official documents regarding such an agreement have been released. Government spokespeople have also not responded to media requests for clarification.
Amenya’s remarks have nonetheless ignited debate online, with questions emerging over data sovereignty, the legality of cross-border health information sharing, and the broader implications of long-term security agreements with foreign governments.
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Whistleblower Nelson Amenya Raises Alarm Over Alleged Kenya–US Health Data Agreement