Distinguished Members of the press, welcome to this press briefing for the inaugural Kenya National AMR Conference of 2026.
The Ministry of Health Kenya with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI) hosted leading AMR sector partners and stakeholders in the fight against antimicrobial resistance at the AMR Alliance Conference 2026, a convening aimed at co-creating practical, locally relevant solutions to address the growing threat of AMR.
According to 2019 data, we lose over a quarter a million people annually to infectious diseases with a direct linkage to antimicrobial resistance in Africa. This is mainly driven by misuse and overuse of antibiotics, with AMR now emerging as a leading cause of death in Africa. While Kenya has developed a National Action Plan (NAP) aligned with the Global Action Plan and the African Union Framework for AMR Control, with aims to strengthen surveillance, stewardship, and awareness. Implementation still has gaps in various areas including laboratory capacity, data sharing, and coordination across sectors and stakeholders.
This realisation occasioned the formulation of the AMR Alliance in Kenya comprising of experts, policymakers, funders, and community leaders and led by KEMRI and KNPHI. Their first activity being to bring together all stakeholders to tackle the urgent need for a unified approach to the AMR challenge in Kenya.
The Alliance whose theme is “Working Together to Tackle AMR in Kenya” aims to meet the objectives of;-
- Showcasing successful AMR initiatives in Kenya
- Identify gaps in data, diagnostics, and stewardship
- Strengthening One Health collaboration across sectors
- Mobilising funding and partnerships for action
As the MOH in Kenya we reiterate the need for urgent action to prevent a future where common infections become untreatable, a reality we can no longer avoid with increased deaths in previously treatable infections. This will require a multisectoral approach and cross-cutting collaboration. We laud the efforts of the KEMRI Programme, NPHI with the sector partners to take leadership and ensuring the successful Launch of the Alliance.
The Conference will provide an opportunity for all the partners to showcase their experiences, strengths and learnings and new sector developments. We look forward to the actioning of the NAP for Kenya with this convening and the collaboration of the different players in the sector including – policy, research, clinical, pharmaceuticals, laboratory and regulatory bodies, there is need to urgently create local solutions for AMR in Kenya.
We appreciate all the partners who have supported the launch of the alliance Including the Gates Foundation and participation by Wellcome, the Fleming Fund, the European Union and others who have joined in making the meeting a reality. The Ministry aims to take forward the conference outcomes into policy.
The conference conveners hope to develop shared priorities and policy recommendations, and secure commitments from funders and partners for the implementation of the recommendations. They also aim to ensure that out of the event there will be strengthened networks for ongoing collaborations, establishing the meeting as a national checkpoint for an AMR Annual score card going forward and providing guidance for the next steps with published conference proceedings.
View Conference Agenda