President William Ruto has presided over the opening of the two-day Kenya Health Summit 2026 at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Themed ‘Reforms Delivered, Health as a Right’, the summit brings together, Ministry of Health, county governments, global partners, including WHO, and innovators to move from policy commitments to implementation roadmap.
The Summit aims at strengthening intergovernmental coordination and mutual accountability across national and county health systems.
The Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Cabinet Secretaries Musalia Mudavadi (PCS), Aden Duale (Health), Governors are among other leaders who joined the summit.
Led by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, the Ministry of Health showcased reforms making healthcare more accessible, connected and responsive to the needs of Kenyans.
Key milestones highlighted include the registration of 32.3 million Kenyans with the Social Health Authority, accreditation of more than 10,000 health facilities and deployment of over 42,000 digital devices to support Taifa Care, electronic medical records and real-time claims processing.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, through the Ksh9.6 billion National Equipment Service Programme, 862 specialised medical equipment units have been deployed across 251 health facilities in 44 counties, bringing specialised services closer to communities.
The statement notes that the government’s Ksh10 billion recapitalisation of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority has helped increase the order fill rate from 35 to 95 per cent, improving the availability of essential medicines and medical commodities.
“The health workforce has also been strengthened through the deployment of 24,573 healthcare interns and the transition of 7,414 Universal Health Coverage staff to permanent and pensionable terms,” read the statement.
MoH says plans are underway to recruit and deploy 5,000 additional nurses and midwives to expand access to quality maternal and newborn healthcare adding that the milestones reflect Kenya’s steady progress towards an integrated, adequately equipped and people-centred health system where quality healthcare is a right.
More to follow……
