NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 10 – Health sector reforms and intergovernmental coordination dominated discussions at the 2026 Council of Governors Retreat held in Kilifi County, where Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale called for stronger collaboration to accelerate Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Addressing governors from all 47 counties, CS Duale said effective coordination between national and county governments is essential to improving healthcare service delivery and ensuring equitable access to quality care.
The Ministry of Health said the retreat is aimed at reviewing shared priorities between the two levels of government and is being held under the theme “Repositioning the Council for Effective Service Delivery in the Current Political Environment.”
Duale briefed the forum on ongoing reforms within the health sector, noting that the government is prioritizing system-wide strengthening to support long-term sustainability.
He also provided an update on the five-year U.S.–Kenya Health Cooperation Framework, which focuses on strengthening health systems at both national and county levels. The framework is built around six key pillars, including disease surveillance, laboratory systems, health workforce development, supply chain management, digital health, and strategic investments for sustainability.
The Health Cabinet Secretary, said the pillars align with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), with health identified as a core driver of economic and social development.
Duale said the government is shifting away from short-term interventions toward multi-year partnerships that support system strengthening and better alignment of national and county priorities under the One Plan, One Budget framework.
He urged development partners to closely align their interventions with Kenya’s priorities, stressing that coordinated action is necessary to achieve sustainable and equitable UHC.
The retreat was attended by senior officials from both levels of government, including Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, Acting U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Carla Benini, Health Director-General Patrick Amoth, governors, and other health sector stakeholders.
