Duale courts WHO support as Kenya fast-tracks UHC reforms
By Kiprono Keileb, February 4, 2026Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has moved to strengthen Kenya’s push towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by engaging the World Health Organisation (WHO) at a time when the government is rolling out major health sector reforms.
The engagement took place on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in Nairobi and focused on how Kenya and WHO can deepen cooperation to improve access to healthcare, strengthen financing, and protect patients, as the country implements changes under the Taifa Care model.
In a statement on X, the Duale explained the purpose of the high-level meeting and the officials involved, noting the importance of global partnerships in supporting Kenya’s health agenda.
“Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale today held a high-level strategic engagement with representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), led by Acting WHO Representative to Kenya Neema Kimambo, to deepen collaboration aimed at fast-tracking Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda,” Duale stated.
During the meeting, Duale outlined the direction Kenya has taken in reforming the health sector, with a focus on financing and access. He highlighted the role of the Social Health Authority and the growing number of Kenyans already covered under the new system.
“The Cabinet Secretary outlined Kenya’s ongoing, transformative health sector reforms anchored on the Taifa Care Model and sustainable health financing through the Social Health Authority (SHA), noting that more than 29 million Kenyans are already enrolled. He emphasised that these reforms are critical to expanding equitable access to quality healthcare services across the country,” Duale stated.
The Health CS also pointed to community-level interventions as a key pillar of the reforms, saying the government is taking services closer to households while improving accountability in the system.
“Hon. Duale highlighted the deployment of 107,000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to bring health services closer to households, enhance transparency and accountability, and curb fraud through the Digital Health Superhighway. He further noted that reforms at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) are strengthening last-mile delivery of essential health products and technologies—key pillars in advancing UHC,” the statement added.
Maternal and newborn health featured prominently in the discussions, with the Ministry outlining targeted programmes and policy measures aimed at improving care standards and patient safety.
“The meeting was also briefed on the rollout of the Maternal and Newborn Health Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) and the Every Woman, Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) agenda, which target high-burden counties to reduce maternal and newborn mortality. In addition, ongoing policy measures, including the bed access rule and the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill 2025, were highlighted as critical steps to standardise care, safeguard patient rights, and establish a new regulatory authority to strengthen patient safety,” the statement added.
Duale further sought technical backing from WHO to support financing reforms, regulation, and local manufacturing, while also touching on disease preparedness and data-driven decision-making.
“To further deepen collaboration, the Cabinet Secretary sought WHO’s technical support in health financing, regulatory systems strengthening—including Kenya’s pursuit of WHO Global Benchmarking Tool Maturity Level 3 (ML3)—and the promotion of local pharmaceutical manufacturing. The discussions also underscored WHO’s leadership in health security, particularly in coordinating large-scale epidemic responses and the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) process,” he added.