Published on 22/05/2025
Kenya has committed to increasing its contributions to the World Health Organisation (WHO) by 20% over the next four years.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced this pledge at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Kenya, therefore, supports the proposal to increase the assessed contribution to 20%,” CS Duale said.
Duale emphasized the importance of sustainable financing for the health body, stating that the revised budget aims to achieve more impact even with less funding.
He highlighted Kenya’s commitment to accelerating Universal Health Coverage (UHC), strengthening health financing, and advancing digital health infrastructure to drive data-informed policy.
“Kenya’s national development strategy is firmly anchored in the Universal Health Coverage through our bottom-up economic transformation agenda, we are actively strengthening our healthcare system,” Duale remarked.
The Investment Round seeks to fund WHO’s 2025-2028 global health plan (14th General Programme of Work) as part of a strategy to support member states and partners for four years.
All WHO members, including Kenya, pay mandatory fees based on their economic strength. Additional revenue is generated from voluntary donations by countries, charities, and other partners.
The budgetary amendments comes amid a cash crunch in the health sector as U.S. withdrawal of funding under USAID created a $600 million gap for the WHO.
In response, member states have approved a contribution increase, adding a separate US$90 million (Ksh11.5 billion) annually as part of WHO’s journey towards sustainable financing.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed gratitude for the increased support, stating that the pledges demonstrate that multilateralism is alive and well.
As of 24 February 2025, the United States froze funds, dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) world-wide, destabilising the entire humanitarian system.
Multiple humanitarian and development programs in Kenya that rely on the US funding have been officially terminated in early February 2025.
WHO said the Trump administration’s decision to pause U.S foreign aid has “substantially disrupted” the supply of HIV treatments in eight countries, Kenya included.
In 12 countries, over 2,600 facilities have been impacted, with 900 hospitals and over 1,200 primary healthcare facilities at risk of closing. WHO also announced in March, its plan to cut its funding target for emergency operations to $872 million from $1.2 billion in the 2026-2027 budget period.
The Ministry of Health in Kenya has sought a budget review to secure at least Ksh. 5 billion within the next three months and an additional Ksh.13 billion in the next financial year to keep HIV mitigation programs afloat following the USAID funding freeze.
