President William Ruto speaks during the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit, State House, Nairobi, December 10, 2025. /PCSProvision of maternity services at lower-tier public health facilities is set for a major shift following a resolution by the National Government and counties to operationalise the services under the Social Health Authority from January.
During Wednesday's 12th Ordinary Session of the Summit at State House, Nairobi, the two levels of government agreed that the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors will develop a framework for provision of maternity services at facilities by the second week of January 2026.
“In the immediate and subsequently, the associated charges shall be charged on the Primary Health Care Fund (PHCF) under the SHA legal infrastructure,” the Summit directed, establishing a clear financing mechanism meant to reduce out-of-pocket costs for women seeking care at local clinics.
The resolution represents a significant shift in Kenya’s primary health care strategy, placing community-level facilities at the centre of maternal health delivery.
The decision is expected to ease pressure on higher-level hospitals while enhancing access to skilled care closer to households.
The meeting, chaired by President William Ruto and co-chaired by Council of Governors chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi, also adopted far-reaching decisions affecting Community Health Promoters (CHPs).
President William Ruto chairs the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit, State House, Nairobi, December 10, 2025. /PCS
The Summit resolved that all stipends for the Community Health Promoters shall be promptly paid.
In addition, it affirmed that the CHPs shall be covered under the SHA insurance cover co-financed by the two levels of government on a 50-50 basis, amounting to Sh330 per CHP for each level of government.
This cost-sharing model is intended to guarantee sustained protection for the country’s frontline health workers, who play a crucial role in household-level surveillance, referrals and preventive care.
Beyond insurance coverage, the government signalled a long-term human resource reform for CHPs.
It was further agreed that the Ministry of Health, Public Service Commission, CoG and the National Treasury shall develop a framework for the transition of CHPs to permanent and pensionable basis.
This directive marks a major step towards formalising the cadre and strengthening stability within community-level health services.
Governors attend the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit, State House, Nairobi, December 10, 2025. /PCS
The Summit also addressed protections for vulnerable groups, resolving that the Ministry of Health shall review the Persons with Disability Act, 2025, on the sections related to exemptions of payment of medical services by Persons with Disability with a view to harmonisation with the existing Social Health Insurance Act, 2023.
The decision ensures alignment between emerging insurance laws and long-standing provisions for persons with disabilities.
On health infrastructure, the Summit ordered cancellation of all vendor contracts of stalled equipment installations issued under the National Equipment Support Programme (NESP).
The move signals government's intent to unblock service gaps caused by delayed equipment installations at public health facilities.
The forum also ratified broader intergovernmental and fiscal resolutions affecting county operations.
It directed the National Treasury to disburse by the third day of every month all the related personnel emolument costs for all the county governments to the respective County Revenue Fund Account, while county governments were instructed to ensure all the statutory deductions are paid out by the ninth day of every month.
Governors attend the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit, State House, Nairobi, December 10, 2025. /PCS
The National Treasury was also directed to withdraw the Public Finance Management (Amendment) Bill to allow further consultation, while IGRTC was tasked to accelerate the unbundling and delineation of contested functions for transfer to counties.
Consequently, the Commission on Revenue Allocation and the National Treasury were directed to verify financing for the unbundled functions ahead of the 2026/27 allocation cycle, while counties must work with state agencies to secure legal ownership of transferred assets.
Additionally, IGRTC must, within 14 days, finalise all pending participatory agreements on county-issued bursaries.
It was further resolved that progress on the stalled Intergovernmental Relations (Amendment) Bill, 2024, be coordinated through the Prime Cabinet Secretary.
Finally, the National Treasury was instructed to fast-track pending disbursements related to the County Aggregation and Industrial Parks and social infrastructure upgrades to facilitate timely completion and operationalisation.
