Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has pushed for faster implementation of two World Bank-funded health programmes valued at approximately Ksh43.5 billion as the government seeks to bolster its emergency response and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.

Duale made the call during a high-level meeting with a World Bank delegation led by Manager Ronald Mutasa to assess progress under the Building Resilient and Responsive Health Systems (BREHS) Project and the Kenya Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience (KHEPRR) Project.

Discussions held on Thursday, October 29, centred on addressing delays affecting the programmes, improving the use of available resources and identifying priority interventions that would deliver results across the health sector.

He asked the World Bank to align its support with Kenya’s national health priorities by accelerating the delivery of the two programmes.

“To accelerate implementation, I sought the World Bank’s alignment with our national health priorities and Kenya’s ‘One Plan, One Budget, One Monitoring and Evaluation Framework,’ particularly as we work to deliver faster results in health financing and digital health,” Duale said.

The CS said Kenya needed to move beyond developing healthcare reforms and focus on translating them into measurable improvements in service delivery.

He emphasised the need for a coordinated approach guided by a common national plan, budget and monitoring framework to improve accountability and implementation.

The Ksh15.6 billion ($120 million) KHEPRR project is a six-year programme running from 2024 to 2030, aimed at improving the country’s capacity to prepare for and respond to health emergencies through disease surveillance, laboratory services, medical supplies, healthcare worker training and vaccine manufacturing.

The BREHS project was launched in March 2024 with Ksh27.9 billion ($215 million) in World Bank financing to strengthen primary healthcare services, improve the supply of medical commodities through the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) and support reforms, including the transition to the Social Health Authority (SHA).

Duale’s push to fast-track funding comes as nine Ebola cases and two deaths have been confirmed in the country as of October 26, increasing the need for stronger disease surveillance, laboratory testing, emergency response teams and preparedness systems.

Beyond the two projects, Kenya continues to rely on World Bank support for interventions targeting healthcare challenges.

Earlier this month, the country secured Ksh51.96 billion in emergency funding from the lender to support interventions covering health emergencies, medicines, agricultural inputs, water and sanitation, and assistance to vulnerable households.

Similarly, more than Ksh259 million has been allocated through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to support Kenya’s Ebola response, including border surveillance, training rapid response teams, and equipping frontline health workers.