Public Health Act Cap 242 in Kenya

This Act may be cited as the Public Health Act.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— “adult” means a person of eighteen years of age or over; “approved” and “prescribed” means respectively approved or prescribed by the Minister or the board or by the appointed officers or by the regulations framed under this Act as the case may...

(1) There shall be established a Central Board of Health (hereinafter referred to as the board), having its seat at Nairobi, which shall consist of the Director of Medical Services (who shall be chairman), a sanitary engineer, or such person as may be appointed by the Minister to perform the duties...

The names of all members appointed to the board shall be forthwith notified in the Gazette and any number of the Gazette containing a notice of any such appointment shall be deemed sufficient evidence thereof for all purposes.

The Minister shall, as soon as possible, fill up vacancies occurring in the board, but the board shall continue to exercise its powers as long as there shall remain on the board at least five members of whom the Director of Medical Services is one.

If any member of the board is at any time prevented by absence or other cause from acting, the Minister may appoint some other person to replace such member until he returns or is able to resume his functions.

The Minister may make rules as to the convening and holding meetings of the board, the quorum thereof, the procedure thereat, allowances payable to members thereof and the circumstances in which any member shall vacate his membership.

The board may appoint committees, whether of its own members or otherwise, to carry out general or specific functions as may be specified by the board and may delegate to any such committee such of its powers as the board may deem appropriate.

(1) There shall be established a district health management board in each district which shall be charged with responsibility of overseeing the running of Government health institutions in that district. (2) The Minister may make rules as to the composition of the district health management...

The functions of the board shall be to advise the Minister upon all matters affecting the public health, and particularly upon all matters mentioned in subsection (2) of section 10.

(1) There shall from time to time be appointed a Director of Medical Services, a Deputy Director of Medical Services, assistant directors of medical services, medical officers of health, assistant medical officers of health, medical officers, pathologists, health inspectors, port health officers and...

(1) There shall be a department, to be known as the Medical Department, which shall be under the control of the Director of Medical Services. (2) The functions of the Medical Department shall be, subject to the provisions of this Act, to prevent and guard against the introduction of infectious...

The Minister may, on the advice of the board or of the Medical Department, cause to be made such inquiries as he may see fit in relation to any matters concerning the public health in any place.

When an inquiry is directed to be made by the Minister, the person directed to make the same shall have free access to all books, plans, maps, documents and other things relevant to the inquiry, and shall have in relation to witnesses and their examination and the production of documents similar...

It shall be the duty of every health authority to take all lawful, necessary and, under its special circumstances, reasonably practicable measures for preventing the occurrence or dealing with any outbreak or prevalence of any infectious, communicable or preventable disease, to safeguard and promote...

(1) Whenever complaint is made to the board that the public health in any locality is endangered by the failure or refusal on the part of any municipal council to exercise its powers or perform the duties devolving upon it under this Act or any other Act which it is its duty to enforce, the Minister...

The Minister for the time being responsible for Local Government shall, before approving any by-law made by a municipal council affecting public health, obtain the agreement of the Minister for the time being responsible for Health.

(1) Except as is specially provided in this Act, the provisions of this Act shall be deemed to be in addition to and not in substitution for any provisions of any other Act which are not in conflict or inconsistent with this Act. (2) If the provisions of any earlier Act are in conflict or...

(1) The provisions of this Act, unless otherwise expressed, shall, so far as they concern notifiable infectious diseases, apply to smallpox, plague, cholera, scarlatina or scarlet fever, typhus fever, diphtheria or membranous croup, measles, whooping-cough, erysipelas, puerperal fever (including...

(1) Where an inmate of any building used for human habitation is suffering from any notifiable infectious disease, unless such building is a hospital in which persons suffering from any notifiable infectious disease are received, the following provisions shall have effect— (a) the head of the...

The health authority shall pay to every medical practitioner, other than a Government medical officer, for each certificate duly sent by him in accordance with this Act a fee of four shillings if the case occurs in his private practice.

A notice or certificate to be sent to a medical officer of health in pursuance of this Act may be sent by being delivered to the officer or being left at his office or residence, or may be sent by post addressed to him at his office or his residence.

A medical officer of health may at any time enter and inspect any premises in which he has reason to believe that any person suffering or who has recently suffered from any infectious disease is or has recently been present, or any inmate of which has recently been exposed to the infection of any...

(1) Where any medical officer of health is of opinion that the cleansing and disinfecting of any building or part thereof, and of any articles therein likely to retain infection, would tend to prevent or check infectious disease, it shall be his duty to give notice in writing to the owner or...

Any health authority may direct the destruction of any building, bedding, clothing or other articles which have been exposed to infection from any infectious disease, or in the opinion of the medical officer of health are infected, and may give compensation for the same.

Any health authority may provide a proper place, with all necessary apparatus and attendance, for the disinfection of bedding, clothing or other articles which have become infected, and may cause any articles brought for disinfection to be disinfected free of charge, and any such direction shall be...

Any health authority may provide and maintain a carriage or carriages suitable for the conveyance of persons suffering from any infectious disease, and may pay the expenses of conveying therein any person so suffering to a hospital or other place of destination.

Where, in the opinion of the medical officer of health, any person certified by a medical practitioner to be suffering from an infectious disease is not accommodated or is not being treated or nursed in such manner as adequately to guard against the spread of the disease, such person may, on the...

Where, in the opinion of the medical officer of health, any person has recently been exposed to the infection, and may be in the incubation stage, of any notifiable infectious disease and is not accommodated in such manner as adequately to guard against the spread of the disease, such person may, on...

Any person who— (a) while suffering from any infectious disease, wilfully exposes himself without proper precautions against spreading the said disease in any street, public place, shop, inn or public conveyance, or enters any public conveyance without previously notifying the owner, conductor or...