Primary healthcare gets major boost as Treasury triples funding to Sh13.1 billion
Primary healthcare in Kenya has received a significant boost after the National Treasury increased funding to the Primary Healthcare Fund to Sh13.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, up from Sh4.1 billion in the previous year.
Primary healthcare (PHC) forms a critical part of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), serving as the first point of contact for many Kenyans.
This increased funding aims to strengthen primary healthcare services, which have long been underfunded despite their vital role in the health system.
This increase marks a threefold allocation to the fund, which has historically been severely underfunded.
Primary healthcare in Kenya is the foundation of the health system, aiming to provide accessible, affordable, and community-based health services. Its goal is to achieve UHC by focusing on disease prevention, health promotion, treatment, rehabilitation, and community involvement.
Functions of PHC
Key functions of PHC include preventive care such as immunisations, health education, sanitation, and nutrition support; curative services for common illnesses and minor injuries; rehabilitative support for recovery and disabilities; and promotive care that encourages healthy lifestyles.
Maternal and child health is a major focus, offering antenatal care, skilled delivery, immunisations, and family planning. Community involvement is central, with community health volunteers (CHVs) playing a vital role in health education and home-based care.
PHC is delivered through dispensaries, health centres, community health units, and mobile clinics, supported by nurses, clinical officers, and public health workers.
Programmes under PHC include immunisation drives, HIV/AIDS care, nutrition programs, and school health services. Overall, PHC brings essential care closer to communities and strengthens Kenya’s health system.
In the last fiscal year (2023/24), Kenya’s primary healthcare system faced several key challenges that affected service delivery.
Health workers strikes
Strikes by healthcare workers, including doctors and interns, disrupted services nationwide due to delayed salaries and poor working conditions.
Financial constraints were also significant, with frequent stockouts of essential medicines caused by funding shortfalls and county debts to the national medical supplier.
Coordination between the national and county governments remained weak, leading to fragmented services and inconsistent planning. Preventive and promotive health services were underfunded, with some counties allocating less than 1 per cent of their health budgets to these critical areas.
Additionally, heavy reliance on donor funding posed risks, especially after a freeze in USAID support disrupted access to HIV and TB medications.
Primary healthcare (PHC) forms a critical part of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), serving as the first point of contact for many Kenyans.
This increased funding aims to strengthen primary healthcare services, which have long been underfunded despite their vital role in the health system.
This increase marks a threefold allocation to the fund, which has historically been severely underfunded.
Primary healthcare in Kenya is the foundation of the health system, aiming to provide accessible, affordable, and community-based health services. Its goal is to achieve UHC by focusing on disease prevention, health promotion, treatment, rehabilitation, and community involvement.
Functions of PHC
Key functions of PHC include preventive care such as immunisations, health education, sanitation, and nutrition support; curative services for common illnesses and minor injuries; rehabilitative support for recovery and disabilities; and promotive care that encourages healthy lifestyles.
Maternal and child health is a major focus, offering antenatal care, skilled delivery, immunisations, and family planning. Community involvement is central, with community health volunteers (CHVs) playing a vital role in health education and home-based care.
PHC is delivered through dispensaries, health centres, community health units, and mobile clinics, supported by nurses, clinical officers, and public health workers.
Programmes under PHC include immunisation drives, HIV/AIDS care, nutrition programs, and school health services. Overall, PHC brings essential care closer to communities and strengthens Kenya’s health system.
In the last fiscal year (2023/24), Kenya’s primary healthcare system faced several key challenges that affected service delivery.
Health workers strikes
Strikes by healthcare workers, including doctors and interns, disrupted services nationwide due to delayed salaries and poor working conditions.
Financial constraints were also significant, with frequent stockouts of essential medicines caused by funding shortfalls and county debts to the national medical supplier.
Coordination between the national and county governments remained weak, leading to fragmented services and inconsistent planning. Preventive and promotive health services were underfunded, with some counties allocating less than 1 per cent of their health budgets to these critical areas.
Additionally, heavy reliance on donor funding posed risks, especially after a freeze in USAID support disrupted access to HIV and TB medications.
Universal Health Coverage
UHC
primary healthcare
Community Health Volunteers
budget 2025/2026
budget 2025
CHVs
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