US government to Scale Up support for Kenyan Health Programmes, Nyeri model to guide national rollout
Central
By
Amos Kiarie
| Feb 15, 2026
The U.S. government will continue supporting ongoing health programmes under PEPFAR while using the success of Nyeri County Referral Hospital to guide the national rollout of the $2.5 billion (Sh322.38 billion) U.S.–Kenya health agreement, of which $1.6 billion (Sh206.32 billion) will come from the United States.
Speaking during her tour of the hospital this week, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Susan M. Burns, said the facility’s HIV/AIDS response model has shown how direct government-to-government funding can deliver results, and that lessons learned at Nyeri could be expanded to other counties across the country.
“This hospital has been a model for effective health service delivery. What we have seen here will help guide the rollout of the national health framework and ensure that resources reach the communities that need them most,” he said.
The ambassador highlighted that the ongoing support under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will continue in parallel with the new health agreement. U.S. funding has been instrumental in sustaining programmes targeting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, and the continuation of this support aims to prevent any disruption to life-saving services as the national rollout begins.
“I should say in the interim, it’s not that our funding for health has ceased. We’re continuing to provide ongoing funding through our CDC, our Center for Disease Control, and through our embassy, our Office of Foreign Assistance. We are continuing to provide the life-saving work we’ve done here for many, many years in HIV, AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, and we’ll continue to do that while we work on the implementation of the new program," she said.
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The December-signed health agreement between Kenya and the United States represents one of the largest bilateral health partnerships in the country’s history.
Most of the funding will flow through government-to-government channels, a shift that emphasises transparency, accountability, and local ownership of programmes. Burns explained that Nyeri County Referral Hospital provides a practical model for how direct funding can be managed efficiently and effectively.
“This hospital has been a model for effective health service delivery. What we have seen here will help guide the rollout of the national health framework and ensure that resources reach the communities that need them most,” she said.
During the visit, Ambassador Burns toured various departments at the hospital and engaged with staff to understand how PEPFAR funds are used in patient care and HIV prevention initiatives.
She praised the hospital for its comprehensive approach to treatment and community engagement, noting that it combines medical care with education and outreach programmes to improve health outcomes.
“Coming to Nyeri is a chance for us to really learn how we can take things that were done here and scale them up. I am really looking forward to seeing how we’re able to do that," she said.