Kenya's COVID-19 Laboratory Response

What to know

Kenya's National Influenza Center (NIC) played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic started, CDC Kenya and staff from the Kenyan Ministry of Health collaborated to prepare the NIC laboratory for COVID-19 testing. On March 2020, the laboratory detected the first COVID-19 case in Kenya. CDC's past investments in the NIC were instrumental in strengthening Kenya's laboratory capacity to detect, investigate, and respond to COVID-19.

person working in the lab

Photo essay

People in protective public health gear talking in a lab
When the first COVID-19 case was detected in China in December 2019, CDC’s office in Kenya (CDC Kenya) and Kenya Ministry of Health (MOH) staff prepared the National Influenza Center (NIC) laboratory for testing COVID-19 cases by training staff. They learned about molecular diagnostics including sample collection, packaging, transportation, and testing. The NIC laboratory detected the first COVID-19 case in Kenya on March 12, 2020. Photo: Santos Sanchez/CDC
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two people in the lab. Sign on door reads Extraction/Reception Room
NIC laboratory personnel received training on biosafety/biosecurity and learned how to safely handle and dispose of respiratory virus specimens. Photo: Santos Sanchez/CDC
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man testing samples in a lab
CDC’s investment in the NIC has been instrumental in strengthening Kenya’s laboratory capacity to detect, investigate, and respond to COVID-19 and other pandemics that may emerge or re-emerge. Photo: Santos Sanchez/CDC
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man wearing face mask and lab coat collecting COVID-19 specimen
CDC Kenya's laboratory leadership offered training on COVID-19 specimen collection, packaging, transportation, testing, and results release. Regional laboratory personnel from across the country in Coastal, Central, Rift Valley, and Western areas of Kenya participated.
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two women in a Kenya lab processing COVID-19 tests
At the height of the pandemic, CDC Kenya labs processed about 52% of COVID-19 national testing at the CDC-supported Kenya Medical Research Institute and U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief laboratories through 2020 and 2021. These specimens were collected by regional hospitals or facilities and moved to designated laboratories in Kenya for testing. Photo: Santos Sanchez/CDC
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woman wearing mask and protective covering looking at a computer screen
CDC Kenya supported two of the five laboratories that conducted sequencing and contributed data to the national genomic surveillance team to monitor SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) variants, which were then reported to Kenya MOH. This genomic surveillance capacity identified the first cases of the Delta variant of concern in Kenya. Photo: Santos Sanchez/CDC
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photo of a woman sitting and smiling
National Influenza Laboratory Manager Mary Okeyo says, “CDC’s investment in the NIC has been instrumental in strengthening Kenya’s laboratory capacity to detect, investigate, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other outbreaks.” Photo: Santos Sanchez/CDC
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photo of a group of people outside a laboratory
CDC Kenya continues to work with Kenya MOH to support and train NIC and regional laboratory staff to detect infectious diseases, facilitate a public health response, and save lives. Photo: Santos Sanchez/CDC
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Content Source:
Global Health Center