Kenya is charting a bold course toward self-reliant and sustainable health financing, gathering momentum with a strategic forum held at Strathmore Business School. The event, themed “Resilience in Transition: The Case for Sustainable Health Financing and Africa’s Way Forward,” brought together a diverse range of stakeholders, including policymakers, economists, health experts, civil society, and academia, all focused on overcoming challenges posed by declining donor funding.
Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Medical Services, emphasized the importance of leadership and robust economic planning in steering the country’s health financing reforms. His remarks underscored a shift towards prioritizing domestic resource mobilisation and aligning external support more effectively with Kenya’s national health priorities.
Dr. Oluga argued that health financing should be viewed not merely as an expense but as a critical economic investment that drives national productivity and contributes to the broader goals of Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). He also called for a more transparent and accountable approach to donor funding, citing the need for unified systems to better coordinate and maximise the impact of external contributions.
A key focus of the forum was the creation of Kenya’s new Social Health Authority (SHA), designed to pool domestic tax funds and streamline the provision of essential health services, including primary, emergency, and chronic care. The success of this initiative will be pivotal in ensuring that Kenya remains in control of its health financing, reducing reliance on external sources.
Dr. Oluga’s remarks painted a picture of a future where Kenya drives its own health agenda, focusing on transparency, accountability, and the mobilisation of local resources. He reiterated that the nation must no longer plan around foreign aid but should leverage its own resources to ensure long-term health sustainability.
The forum closed with a collective commitment to enhancing Kenya’s domestic health financing mechanisms, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and improving overall accountability. This collaborative effort positions Kenya to play a leading role in advancing Africa’s journey toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The insights and strategies discussed at the event are expected to significantly shape the future of health systems across the continent.
