Kenya could be
heading toward a health crisis if it fails to address its health funding
system, with experts warning that rising population and health needs are
outpacing the growth of the country’s healthcare workforce.
According to
projections, Kenya’s population will surpass 63 million by 2030, pushing up
demand for healthcare services at an annual rate of 4.7 per cent.
In contrast, the
health workforce is growing at just 3.4 per cent per year, leaving a widening
gap that threatens the delivery of essential services and the achievement of
Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The looming
shortfall comes at a time when the government has slashed the health budget by
Sh38.7 billion, a move stakeholders say undermines the country’s Vision 2030
and UHC 2030 commitments.
Experts argue that
without urgent reforms in financing and workforce planning, Kenya’s health
system may be unable to cope with the rising burden of disease and growing
population.
AMREF Health Africa Group Director of Partnerships & External
Affairs Desta Lakew warns that
unless Kenya strengthens health system financing and workforce planning,
progress toward UHC will remain slow.
“The five transformative health laws passed in 2023 have laid a robust
foundation, ensuring equitable access to services, sustainable financing,
interoperable digital systems and a people-centred, data-driven health system,”
said Lakew
“My hope for WHX Nairobi is that it catalyses greater political
goodwill and innovation toward scalable, people-first solutions that can be
replicated across Africa.”
In a brief ahead
of the 2025 WHX Nairobi and WHX Labs Nairobi, a three-day health and laboratory
innovation forum scheduled to open next month at the Kenyatta International
Convention Centre (KICC), health experts say the solution regions health
challenges is not one-size-fits-all.
“It requires
strategic investment in health employment and closer collaboration between the
public and private sectors,” said the organisers of East Africa’s biggest health
expo WHX Nairobi, formerly Medic East Africa.
The forum will
convene policymakers, innovators, clinicians, and investors under the theme Advancing
healthcare and laboratory innovation in East Africa.
Discussions will
focus on sustainable financing, public–private partnerships, and new models to
expand access to care.
Supported by the
Ministry of Health, the Kenya Medical Association, Africa CDC and other
regional partners, the forum will also explore solutions to critical challenges
such as antimicrobial resistance, diagnostics access, and digital health
adoption.
WomenLift Health senior
communication manager for East Africa, Liberty Kituu, said that leadership and
strategic financing are pivotal to achieving equitable healthcare.
She noted that the
organisation’s work had shown that when women were equipped to lead, health
systems became more inclusive, financing decisions more equitable and primary
healthcare delivered greater resilience.
With over 200
exhibitors expected to showcase the latest technologies, she added that WHX
Nairobi created a vital space to spotlight such leaders and their role in
addressing East Africa’s health future.