Duale presents 2026/27 health budget estimates to MPs

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has presented the 2026/2027 Financial Year revenue and expenditure estimates for the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health, chaired by Seme MP James Nyikal.

Duale called on the committee to protect key health interventions, including immunisation programmes, from budget cuts during supplementary budget adjustments, saying this was necessary to sustain gains in public health outcomes.

He said the government is strengthening collaboration with development partners and stakeholders in the rollout of the Taifa Care Model, which focuses on preventive and promotive healthcare, policy and regulation, sector coordination, and delivery of priority health interventions under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

The CS underscored the need for increased investment in human resources for health and for uninterrupted supply of essential medical commodities, terming them critical to advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

He also noted that the rising burden of disease and emerging public health threats continue to strain the health system, calling for enhanced budgetary allocations towards disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and response, sanitation and hygiene, and broader public health reforms.

Duale was accompanied by Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni, alongside ministry directors, chief executive officers, and technical officers.

The committee is expected to consider the estimates and make recommendations.