Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has held bilateral talks with Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Executive Director Peter Sands, as Kenya moves to secure long-term support for key health programmes amid declining global donor funding.
The meeting took place on the margins of the World Health Assembly at the Kenya Permanent Mission in Geneva, bringing together senior Kenyan officials and Global Fund leadership to review progress and emerging financing challenges in the health sector.
Duale said the discussions focused on sustaining Kenya’s health gains while adjusting to reduced external financing and increasing domestic pressure on public resources.
“We discussed sustaining Kenya’s health gains amid tightening global financing,” Duale said. “The partnership with the Global Fund has been central in expanding HIV treatment, reducing AIDS-related deaths, lowering TB mortality and driving down malaria prevalence.”
He added that the collaboration has also strengthened both community and national health systems, improving access to essential services across the country.
“Our engagement with the Global Fund has not only improved disease outcomes but also reinforced health systems at both community and national level,” he said.
However, Duale cautioned that the progress achieved is now under strain due to shrinking donor contributions, fiscal limitations, and climate-related disruptions affecting service delivery.
“We are facing declining donor support, fiscal constraints and climate shocks that threaten health delivery systems,” he said. “Kenya is responding by increasing domestic health financing and protecting critical allocations to the health sector.”
He noted that Kenya remains committed to meeting its co-financing obligations, including preparations for the Global Fund Cycle Eight funding period.
“We will continue to honour our co-financing commitments under Cycle Eight while strengthening sustainability at home,” Duale said.
The CS called for more flexible financing arrangements and innovative funding models to reflect shifting global economic realities.
“There is need for more adaptable sustainability models and financing approaches that align with today’s global economic environment,” he said.
The discussions also touched on broader health sector reforms, including expansion of digital health systems to support Primary Health Care and the Taifa Care rollout, increased enrolment in the Social Health Authority (SHA), and strengthening local production of essential medical supplies.
Duale also pushed for reforms at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), particularly on procurement efficiency and supply chain reliability.
“Strengthening procurement systems at KEMSA and advancing WHO prequalification standards remain key priorities,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Kenya’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Dr Fancy Too, Governors Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi) and Stephen Sang (Nandi), Principal Secretaries Dr Ouma Oluga (Medical Services) and Mary Muthoni (Public Health), as well as senior health officials including Dr Patrick Amoth, Dr Andrew Mulwa, Dr Bashir Issak, and Dr Stephen Muleshe.
The engagement comes at a time when Kenya is recalibrating its health financing strategy to balance donor dependency with domestic resource mobilisation amid rising health demands.