The Ministry of Health has officially deployed the UHAI Travelers App at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to bolster the screening and monitoring of passengers arriving from Ebola high-risk countries, reinforcing Kenya’s national preparedness against cross-border public health threats.
To assess the performance of the new platform, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, inspected operations at Port Health Services within the airport. Her evaluation focused on the real-time functionality of the app, the efficiency of passenger health screening procedures, and the readiness of Port Health personnel to detect and respond swiftly to potential risks.
As East Africa’s central aviation hub, JKIA processes nearly 9 million passengers annually and handles over 200 domestic and international flights daily. Implementing automated surveillance across this massive volume of air traffic ensures that incoming flows are screened systematically without creating operational bottlenecks at immigration and arrivals.
By embedding smart digital technologies directly into disease surveillance at Kenya’s primary international gateway, the UHAI travelers App enables instant data collection and rapid intervention. This enhanced monitoring capacity significantly lowers the risk of importing Ebola and other infectious diseases via international travel.
Reaffirming the Government’s ongoing strategy, PS Mary Muthoni emphasized that continued investment in digital health innovations and robust surveillance systems remains central to safeguarding the health and safety of all Kenyans.
