Nairobi — Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has assured development partners of the government's commitment to ending fragmentation in Kenya's health sector by fully embracing digitisation.
Speaking during a high-level consultative meeting with Development Partners in Health, Kenya (DPHK), in Nairobi, Duale said all health systems--both existing and new--must be certified and coordinated through the Digital Health Agency, in line with the provisions of the Digital Health Act and its accompanying regulations.
"We are building an integrated digital framework to align donor support with national goals and ensure long-term sustainability," he said. The CS noted that digitisation will enhance service delivery, support telemedicine, enable tracking and tracing of health products to end users, and ensure that only qualified professionals are allowed to provide care.
Duale also briefed the partners on the progress of Kenya's Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which he said is anchored on six core pillars: publicly financed primary healthcare, a rights-based social health insurance model, transparent digital health systems, strengthened emergency and referral services, sustainable health commodity security, and a motivated and equitably distributed workforce.
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He emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts, aligned investments, and joint accountability, which he described as essential for effective health delivery. He further committed to institutionalising the existing partnership framework through the principles of "one national plan, one budget, and one monitoring and evaluation framework."
DPHK Chair Dr. Serawit Bruck-Landais reaffirmed the group's support for Kenya's UHC priorities under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), and praised the government's efforts to harmonise donor engagement with country-led strategies.
The meeting also reviewed key areas of concern including reforms at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), health expenditure tracking, resource mapping and mobilisation, and the need to strengthen outbreak response mechanisms.
CS Duale was accompanied by Principal Secretaries Dr. Ouma Oluga (Medical Services) and Mary Muthoni (Public Health and Professional Standards), Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, WHO Representative Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Health.
