Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in Bungoma county have a reason to smile.
This is after the Ministry of Health released Sh17 million to go towards payments for their disbursements.
Health CS Susan Nakhumicha said the funds will be used to pay their monthly stipends for December and January.
Funded by the national government, the funds will be distributed to 3,500 CHPs across the county.
Each CHP is expected to receive Sh5,000.
"Of the 35,000 CHPs nationwide, I am personally ensuring that everyone receives Sh5,000," Nakhumicha said.
"This will serve as a significant incentive for these frontline champions in our pursuit of Universal Health Coverage," the CS said.
The was addressing delegates during the Women Leadership Summit in Bungoma County on Saturday.
Nakhumicha reiterated the government's commitment to fortifying intergovernmental relations to deepen devolution and effectively bolster county governments in their service delivery to the public.
She stressed that this initiative would be replicated across all 47 counties, with the aim of amplifying socio-economic transformation at the grassroots and advancing the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka echoed this sentiment, reaffirming his administration's unwavering commitment to ensuring residents receive access to quality and affordable healthcare.
This comes barely a week after the government released Sh3 billion to pay Community Health Promoters (CHPs) across the country.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said that so far, over 13 million Kenyans have directly benefitted from the healthcare services offered by the CHPs who are based in every village in the country.
Gachagua praised the 107,000 CHPs saying they are unsung heroes leading the implementation of a programme key in the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
"You play a critical role in the success of UHC and you are a critical pillar in this intervention of primary health care. You are the unsung heroes having worked for many years without any administration thinking about you and your welfare," he said.
The DP added that President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza administration is the first since independence to pay community health workers.
He added that since the community health promoters were hired and deployed to the villages four months ago (October 2023), they have reached 2.7 million households.
"In under four months, we have touched the lives of at least 13.5 million Kenyans-a 25 per cent reach in personalised health services," he said.
Gachagua said the CHP programme will go a long way in stopping Kenyans from sinking into poverty because of hospital bills.
