European Union provides €80,000 to support Kenya’s preparedness against Marburg Virus

The emergency preparedness and response project will run for three months, until the end of February 2026 focusing on two high-risk counties -Turkana and Marsabit and targeting over 111,000 people. The project prioritises border communities with frequent cross-border movement including Kibish, Todonyang, Ileret, and Moyale. The EU considered the relative proximity of the Ethiopian MVD epicentre to Kenya's large refugee camps in Turkana, as well as the pastoralist movements, use of informal migratory routes, as factors that could increase the risk to local communities, including refugees and asylum seekers.

The EU funding will strengthen the Kenya Red Cross Society's efforts to provide enhanced community-based surveillance, risk communication, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, safe and dignified burial capacity, and rapid response mechanisms. These measures aim to prevent and contain a potential MVD outbreak in Kenya through coordinated action across national and county health systems. The response will also incorporate protection, gender, and inclusion (PGI), community engagement and accountability (CEA), psychosocial support, and safeguarding mechanisms.

On 14 November 2025, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute declared the outbreak of the Marburg virus disease in southern Ethiopia. As of mid-December, 14 cases were confirmed, including 9 deaths, and over 600 contacts identified around 400 of whom have already been discharged. In response to the regional public health threat, the Kenya National Public Health Institute KNPHI) has placed all 47 counties on high alert and issued a national advisory outlining key preparedness and readiness actions.

The funding is part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Background

The European Union together with its Member States is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and human-made crises. Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. Headquartered in Brussels and with a global network of field offices, the EU assists to the most vulnerable people, based on humanitarian needs.

For further information, please contact:

Peter Biro, Regional Information Officer for the Great Lakes, East & Southern Africa, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): [email protected]