MPs told of Sh68 billion funding gap for HIV, primary health care and vaccines
The Principal Secretary State Department for Medical Services Harry Kachuwai Kimtai appears before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health chaired by Dr Robert Pukose at County Hall Nairobi on February 10, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Mr Kimtai said the State Department for Medical Services has 42 projects to be implemented in the financial year ending June 2026.
- He said the total budgetary allocation for development projects is Sh29.49 billion, of which Sh14.13 billion is donor support.
Kenyans are staring at the risk of dying from HIV, lack of vaccines, and blood transfusion after the Treasury failed to allocate Sh68 billion for procurement of essential medical commodities.
The Health Ministry shocked Parliament when it disclosed that its development unfunded priorities for the financial year 2025/26 have a funding shortfall of Sh68 billion in life and death items.
The State Department for Medical Services revealed that it lacks Sh30 billion that is earmarked for the provision of a fully publicly financed primary health care system and Sh15 billion meant for procurement of strategic commodities for HIV, Family Planning, and Vaccines.
Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai said the Treasury has not provided Sh3 billion in the budget to plug the funding gap for the provision of essential commodities for blood transfusion following the declining donor support.
He told the National Assembly’s Health Committee that the State Department for Medical Services requires Sh20 billion to fill the USAID funding challenges following US President Donald Trump's Executive Order freezing funding to the agency.
“The development unfunded priorities is Sh68 billion. These include Sh30 billion funds earmarked for provision of a fully publicly financed primary health care system,” Mr Kimtai said during the scrutiny of the Budget Policy Statement (BPS).
“Sh15 billion in funds meant to procure strategic commodities (HIF, Family Planning, and Vaccines) under the State Department for Medical Services.”
Mr Kimtai told the committee chaired by Endebess MP Robert Pukose that there have been perennial Supplementary Budget cuts over the years to the said programs hence affecting the actualisation of the set targets.
“The State Department is requesting that these funds be ring-fenced in the financial year 2025/26 and the Medium Term,” Mr Kimtai said.
He said blood transfusion services have been underfunded by Sh3 billion, the money required to purchase essential commodities such as blood bags, and equipment to separate different blood groups and cells among others.
Mr Kimtai said President Trump's action to halt the funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had left a funding hole of Sh20 billion.
“USAID funding challenges require the government to intervene to cover HIV commodities, Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH), and Human Resources for Health,” Mr Kimtai said.
President Trump on January 20 signed an Executive Order freezing donor support through USAID for 90 days. The Trump administration also moved to close the work of USAID.
Mr Kimtai said preliminary analysis done by officials at the State Department for Medical shows that the freezing of US international development assistance by President Trump will impact Kenya’s healthcare systems to the tune of Sh30.9 billion.
“We have done some analysis which shows that Sh30.9 billion will be required to cover the US government Executive Order freezing funding,’’ Mr Kimtai said.
“As we speak, Cabinet Secretary Deborah Mulongo is holding a high-level meeting with US Embassy officials to discuss the funding challenges occasioned by the freeze on aid to the sector. We will share the findings of the ongoing study on the impact of US government action and the resolution of the meeting of the Cabinet Secretary and US officials.”
Ms Mulongo on Monday revealed in a leadership consultative meeting held at the Deputy President’s residence that brought together the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors that the unexpected withdrawal of aid money, leaves Kenya with an annual funding gap of about Sh30.9 billion in the health sector.
She said the data shows that health products and technologies for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria will be the most affected with Kenya set to plunge into a funds gap of Sh12.26 billion annually.
Ms Mulongo said that the ripple effect of funding reduction on the HIV programme, for instance, will result in a projection of about 60,000 new HIV infections by 2030.
The latest UNAIDS data shows that Kenya has the seventh-largest HIV burden in the world.
On Wednesday, February 19, Mr Kimtai told MPs that the State Department is working to identify alternative funding to bridge the funding gaps left by development partners in strategic health programs such as TB, HIV, and Malaria.
“The State Department recommends that we invest in local manufacturing of essential and specialised health products,” Mr Kimtai told MPs.
“Other proposed mitigating measures include prioritising domestic resource mobilisation to address donor transition and enhance sustainability, especially in TB, HIV, Malaria and Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH).”
Mr Kimtai said the State Department for Medical Services has 42 projects to be implemented in the financial year ending June 2026.
He said the total budgetary allocation for development projects is Sh29.49 billion, of which Sh14.13 billion is donor support.
The Treasury has allocated the State Department Sh172.6 billion against a total resource requirement of Sh426.8 billion in the financial year 2025/26.
