Microsoft Word 02Preface doc

5.1
 
  Summary of JICA Cooperation with the KEMRI   
5.1.1
 
Background History to the Cooperation 
The leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Kenya in 1975 were related to 
infectious diseases such as malaria, measles, varicella and diarrhoea.  In 1976, the 
Government of Kenya (GOK) requested from the Government of Japan technical 
assistance that aimed to conduct research on public health, especially research on 
infectious diseases in order to improve the health situation. 
JICA started project type technical cooperation on infectious diseases control, namely 
the Communicable Diseases Research and Control Project in March 1979.  The 
Project was implemented in cooperation with several agencies under the Ministry of 
Health (MOH), such as the National Public Health Laboratory Services (NPHLS) and 
the Division of Vector Borne Diseases (DVBD).  The Kenya Medical Research 
Institute (KEMRI) was established in 1979, and joined the JICA project as one of the 
counterpart agencies.  KEMRI has been the main partner in JICA projects since the 
main facilities at KEMRI were completed with Japanese Grant Aid in 1981.   
JICA has continuously implemented project type technical cooperation with KEMRI, 
and there were seven projects implemented up to 2004 (Research and Control of 
Infectious Diseases Project and the International Parasite Control Project, which 
resulted from a division of the Research and Control of Infectious and Parasitic 
Diseases Project).    The Government of Japan further supported the development of 
facilities and equipment at KEMRI through the implementation of grant aid projects, 
including the Kenya Medical Research Institute Development Project in the Republic 
of Kenya in 1981/82 and 
the Project for Improvement of the Kenya Medical Research 
Institute in the Republic of Kenya
 in 1997.  Thus, a series of cooperation projects 
involving KEMRI were implemented strategically by adopting various schemes for 
ODA.