NAIROBI, Kenya, July 17, 2025 Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale chaired the inaugural engagement with the Kenya Health Human Resource Advisory Council (KHHRAC) at Afya House, tasking the new body with spearheading transformative reforms to strengthen the national health workforce under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.
The Council, led by Chair Dr. Francis Wafula, outlined its mandate and operational framework, signaling an emphasis on strategic oversight, coherent policy advice, and coordinated stakeholder engagement. Duale underscored that KHHRAC must embed its processes within ongoing sector reforms and align fully with national digital transformation efforts.
Two immediate priorities framed the discussion. First, seamless integration of Council functions with the Ministry’s Digital Superhighway initiative to ensure interoperable human resource information systems, data-driven planning, and transparent performance tracking. Second, unambiguous adherence to constitutional principles and the Health Act to guarantee fairness, accountability, and rights-based stewardship of health personnel policies.
Duale challenged the Council to actively drive three pivotal outcomes: equitable distribution of health workers across counties; innovation in human resources for health (HRH) planning, retention, and continuous professional development; and accelerated progress toward the broader objectives of UHC. Equity, he noted, requires addressing persistent geographic and facility-level imbalances that leave remote and marginalized communities underserved. Innovation entails leveraging analytics, telehealth-supportive staffing models, competency-based deployment, and modern learning platforms to elevate service quality and responsiveness.
Highlighting sustained public investment, the CS pointed to ongoing efforts to ensure that every Kenyan whether in densely populated urban neighborhoods or far‑flung rural settings can access competent, motivated, and adequately supported health professionals. He emphasized that robust HRH governance is foundational to resilient service delivery, emergency preparedness, and patient-centered care.
Participants affirmed that KHHRAC’s advisory role will extend to harmonizing scopes of practice, standardizing data, guiding recruitment and retention strategies, and promoting ethical leadership cultures. Strengthened collaboration with training institutions, professional councils, and county governments is expected to foster a pipeline approach linking education outputs to service needs.
The session concluded with a call for sustained diligence, measurable milestones, and transparent reporting. Duale urged members to convert strategic intent into operational momentum, positioning KHHRAC as a catalytic platform for long-term system strengthening. Attendance included senior Ministry leadership, reinforcing a unified commitment to elevate the health workforce as a cornerstone of Kenya’s UHC trajectory.
