The Coalition for Health Research and Development (CHReaD) today issues a grave concern: Kenya’s declining investment in health research, development, and innovation is putting the nation’s health security at severe risk. This trend threatens a critical shortage of locally produced life-saving medical solutions and jeopardizes our capacity to respond to emerging health threats.
While the overall health sector funding in the 2025/26 budget has increased from KSh127 billion in 2024/25 to 138.1 billion, allocations for health research remain alarmingly inadequate. The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) received only about KSh 2.7 billion for recurrent costs and a mere KSh 40 million for laboratory upgrades, a drastic reduction from the KSh 2.5 billion recurrent and KSh 537 million allocated in 2024/25. This leaves little room to sustain or launch critical research initiatives.
Equally concerning is that the National Research Fund (NRF), the body mandated to finance Kenya’s research and innovation, received no allocation whatsoever, compared to KSh218.7million in the 2024/25 budget. This funding gap threatens hard-worn gains made in combating infectious diseases, chronic illnesses, neglected tropical diseases, drug-resistant pathogens. It also undermines Kenya’s capacity to respond to future health emergencies
The withdrawal of traditional international donors such as USAID has further compounded the crisis, resulting in the loss of over $220 million funding for health research development and innovation. Clinical trials are stalling, surveillance systems weakened, and we risk losing our top scientists to brain drain. Kenya’s ability to diagnose, treat, and respond effectively to public health threats will deteriorate.
Health research is not a cost; it is a high-return investment with proven economic benefits. Research, every shilling in Kenya invested in health research and development yields KSh 2.40 in short-term returns and KSh 4.72 in long-term gains. Failure to invest now represents both a missed economic opportunity and a critical threat to future health security and pandemic preparedness.
CHReaD calls for immediate action in three areas:
- Emergency Budget Amendment: Parliament should urgently allocate targeted research funds to KEMRI and NRF in the upcoming supplementary budget. These should cover operational research, clinical trial support, and innovation grants.
- Implementation of SHA Act Reform: We support the amendment proposed by KEMRI to allocate 0.1% of Social Health Authority (SHA) monthly collections to fund research institutions to safeguard these institutions from declining donor support which institutions heavily rely on. This will ensure sustainable, predictable financing for health research and institutionalise research as an essential pillar of Health system in Kenya under SHA.
- Support for Market Access and Commercialization: As the largest buyer of health technologies, the government must prioritize procurement of locally developed innovations. Additionally, the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Act, 2013 should be reviewed to empower KEMRI, the NRF and other institutions to commercialize research and generate sustainable revenue.
Kenya must act now. The choice is clear: invest in health research development and innovation today or bear the devastating cost of neglect tomorrow.
