By Phyllis Mwende
Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale assured development partners of the government’s plan to eliminate fragmentation in Kenya’s health sector through full digitization.
Speaking during a high-level consultative meeting with Development Partners in Health, Kenya (DPHK), CS Duale said all health systems must align with the Digital Health Act and be coordinated through the Digital Health Agency.
“We are building an integrated digital framework to align donor support with national goals and ensure long-term sustainability,” Duale stated.
He added that digitization would enhance service delivery, support telemedicine and improve health product tracking, while ensuring only qualified professionals provide care.
The CS also updated stakeholders on the progress of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which he said is anchored on six pillars. These include publicly funded primary healthcare, a rights-based social health insurance model, transparent digital systems, reliable emergency and referral services, sustainable health commodity security, and a well-distributed, motivated workforce.
“We must focus on coordinated investments and joint accountability for effective health delivery,” he noted.
Duale reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the existing partnership framework, emphasizing “one national plan, one budget, and one monitoring and evaluation framework.”
DPHK Chair Dr. Serawit Bruck-Landais reaffirmed their continued support for Kenya’s UHC priorities under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The health CS thanked the partners for their contributions to policy dialogue, technical support and financing. He emphasized the need to shift from fragmented goodwill to structured alignment.
Key issues discussed included KEMSA reforms, resource mapping, expenditure tracking and outbreak response readiness.
The CS was accompanied by Principal Secretaries Dr. Ouma Oluga (Medical Services) and Ms. Mary Muthoni (Public Health and Professional Standards), Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, WHO Representative Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo and other officials.