Multidisciplinary Data Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis Launched

There was pomp and colour as the Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (CEMA) was finally launched at the University of Nairobi. CEMA is a multi-disciplinary national data centre that supports the control, elimination and eradication of infectious diseases in Eastern and Central Africa. Established in 2020, CEMA which is hosted at the University of Nairobi seeks to enhance data-driven decision making to improve health in Kenya and in Africa.

Dr. Patrick Amoth, the acting Director General for Health in the Ministry of Health presided over the launch of the centre.

Dr. Amoth acknowledged the significant role played by CEMA to inform decision making in public health using locally generated data.

“We have seen the value of science in managing the pandemic. We will stick with science until we overcome the pandemic,” he said as he cited the need for accurate and focused health data to inform policy interventions.

Prof. George Magoha, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education, highlighted the importance of data and to the significance of CEMA in informing policy.

“Genuine data is power and knowledge because managing a public health emergency such as COVID-19 calls for a lot of sobriety in making rapid and meaningful decisions,” noted Prof. Magoha. “We must employ multidisciplinary approach in tackling the pandemic using relevant data to make effective decisions. Such decisions must be supported by locally relevant data. The data should be generated locally by the scientists.”

The Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of ICT and Youth Affairs, Ms. Maureen Mbaka appreciated the pivotal role of CEMA in harnessing and analyzing data that has informed policy decisions to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University of Nairobi’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Kiama, emphasized the importance of data analytics in decision-making. He noted that CEMA will use data-driven approaches for the control of infectious diseases, and improvement of health in Kenya and the African continent.

“Data analytics helps decision- makers to predict the future with more accuracy and more importantly we believe that it provides organizations with creative solutions to business problems without errors of human Interventions,’’ said Prof. Kiama.

“Staying ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic means having real time data to make decisions,” explained Dr Loice Ombajo on her experiences dealing with the pandemic. Dr. Ombajo is the CEMA co-founder, a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi and the Head of the Infectious Disease Unit at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

CEMA is changing the way the government makes data accessible. The availability of aggregated, and centralized open access data sets, summarized in dashboard maps, tables, and charts is an exciting new venture in democracy. Both the government and the public can now deeply investigate outbreaks or demographic data that will influence the most precise decision-making.  Thanks to this partnership, Kenya is leading open-data accessibility in healthcare in Africa.