Duale seeks additional Sh22 billion for health sector

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale now says the Sh31 billion allocated to the State Department of Public Health and Professional Standards is insufficient to finance key programmes in the health sector.

Appearing before the National Assembly Health Committee, Duale stated that the department requires an additional Sh22 billion to support critical institutions and programme areas that are either underfunded or entirely omitted in the draft Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2025/26.

The Cabinet Secretary, addressing the committee chaired by Seme MP James Nyikal, explained that although the entire health sector had been allocated Sh136 billion in the draft estimates, the amount represents only 22.91 per cent of the sector’s actual resource requirements.

 “By reducing the burden of preventable diseases and empowering individuals to take charge of their well-being, we can establish a more sustainable and effective healthcare financing model for our country,” said Duale. 

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He outlined that the requested Sh22 billion would cater for Port Health Services, Disease Surveillance, the Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority, the Kenya National Public Health Institute, and the National Quality Control Laboratories.

Additional funding is also required for the National Public Health Laboratories, food safety initiatives, Neglected Tropical Diseases, clinical waste disposal systems, health promotion and education, intergovernmental forums, and the Radiation Protection Project.

Duale noted that the department had submitted a gross resource requirement of Sh70 billion during sector working group discussions. However, the National Treasury proposed an allocation of only Sh31 billion, leaving a resource gap of Sh38 billion for the 2025/26 financial year.

  “The State Department intends to on board a total of 5,449 interns beginning the month of July 2025 with this requiring a total of Sh7.6 billion for payment of their stipends while the National Treasury has proposed an allocation of Sh4 billion in the draft estimates leaving a deficit of Sh3.6 billion,” said Duale.

He further noted that the department requires an additional Sh150 million to cater for administrative costs associated with paying stipends to Community Health Promoters (CHPs). The government has supported counties with kits, smartphones, and stipends for 107,831 CHPs on a matching basis.

Duale said that, under this arrangement, the National Treasury has provided Sh3.2 billion towards stipends in the 2024/25 Supplementary Estimates. However, this allocation does not cover administrative costs or monitoring and evaluation mechanisms essential for tracking performance.   “The State Department is in the process of implementing the organisational structure, which has just been approved by the Public Service Commission and other Administrative operational is requesting the National Treasury to allocate Sh250 million to assist the State Department operationalise its activities,” said Duale. 

He said that the department requires Sh900 million to implement various Presidential Directives, including Sh500 million for establishing Primary Health Care Networks across 315 sub-counties, and Sh400 million for recruiting additional teaching staff at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).

Duale also called for the reinstatement of Sh680 million for student loans under the HELB sponsorship programme at KMTC, which was removed in the draft Budget Estimates for 2025/26.

Since the programme’s inception in the 2022/23 financial year, it has benefited 22,342 students. The total number of qualified applicants for the same period stands at 31,033, and the programme had received Sh500 million in the current financial year.

The CS further stated that the Pharmacy and Poisons Board requires Sh206 million to strengthen Kenya’s pharmaceutical regulatory framework. He also requested Sh760 million for the Kenya National Public Health Institute.

In addition, Duale sought Sh791 million for the National Public Health Laboratories to improve infrastructure, expand surge capacity, develop the workforce, and procure reagents and testing equipment.