Budgetary allocations to the health sector has been on a steady growth but not matching a rapidly expanding population, MPs have been told.
African Institute for Development Policy, in a presentation to health committees of the Senate and National Assembly, said Kenya’s population has grown by 5 per cent in the last three years but per capita allocation to health has increased by only 2.5 per cent.
AFIDEP, a pan-African research and policy institute, said total government allocation to the sector in the 2020-2021 Financial Year was Sh227 billion a rise from Sh217 billion during the 2019/2020 period.
AFIDEP’s head of Kenya office Rose Oronje said during the 2018/2019 period, Sh207 billion was allocated to health.
“Health budget allocation is growing, but most of it is going to recurrent expenditure,” she said.
Oronje said counties are allocating an average of 28 per cent of their budgets to health, still lower than the 35 per cent expected of them.
“Most of the county health budget goes to recurrent expenditure, leaving much less than the recommended 35 per cent to development,” she said.
Oronje said Kenya is not investing enough in health to realise the country’s Universal Health Care goals and commitments.
“We are not spending what we are investing efficiently to realise real improvements in health outcomes,” she said.
She said additional domestic finances for health are urgently needed
“Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance should work together to find additional sources of financing health,” she said.
Senate Health Committee chairperson Jackson Mandago called for partnerships with various stakeholders to address challenges in the sector.
“When decisions are made by the national government, counties give their input. Regrettably, when matters concerning health are being discussed, not all stakeholders are involved,” he said.
Also present at the workshop were officials from the National Council for Population and Development, Partners in Population and Development Africa and the Network of African Parliamentary Health Committees.
