The Ministry of Health has outlined approaches towards attaining healthcare financing, aiming for greater accessibility and sustainability in the health service in the country.
This was during an event about ‘Reimagining Healthcare Financing in Africa: Strategic Solutions Amid Shifting Geopolitical Realities’ that provides a timely platform for countries to reflect and reimagine their health investment strategies.
Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthoni Mary Muthoni, shared the approaches to healthcare financing.
“Kenya is shifting towards a multi-pronged approach to healthcare financing that involves a combination of government funding, social health insurance and private insurance,” Muthoni said.
Speaking at the event, Muthoni noted that the approaches included strategic public-private partnerships, scale-up of the Linda Mama programme, rollout of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and ongoing investments in robust health infrastructure.
“SHIF aims to pool resources and risks, ensuring everyone benefits, regardless of their ability to pay,” she explained.
Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthoni and other officials during a high-level roundtable on "Reimagining Healthcare Financing in Africa: Strategic Solutions Amid Shifting Geopolitical Realities", held on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly on May 22, 2025/ MINISTRY OF HEALTH/X
She emphasised the need for every Kenyan to register as a member to promote broader coverage.
Linda Mama is a government-funded health insurance program that provides free maternity services to pregnant women and their newborns.
On the other hand, a notable highlight from Kenya’s
presentation was the facility improvement in the Financing Act.
It is a transformative policy that empowers health facilities to retain and reinvest their own-generated revenue to improve service delivery directly.
Despite prevailing fiscal constraints, Kenya reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable and innovative financing models that combine strong public sector leadership with the efficiency of private sector engagement.
They noted that it primarily aimed at accelerating progress toward Universal Health Coverage.
The government is investing heavily in primary healthcare, recognising its crucial role in preventing disease and promoting overall health.
The event hosted by the World Health Expo in collaboration with AMREF Health Africa brought together health and finance ministers, development partners and private sector leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa.
