NAIROBI— Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Thursday held a bilateral meeting with a high-level delegation from the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), led by Ntuli Kapologwe, to deepen regional collaboration as Kenya accelerates its journey toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Duale highlighted ongoing transformative reforms in the health sector, including the shift to sustainable financing models and the rollout of a digital health superhighway designed to enable data-driven decision-making. He also spotlighted improvements at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), which has achieved last-mile delivery timelines of under seven days and a 90% refill rate for essential commodities, significantly enhancing supply chain efficiency and reducing stock-outs.
Guided by SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals, the discussions explored practical areas of cooperation such as policy harmonization, pooled procurement, and market-shaping strategies to improve affordability of medicines and strengthen supply chain resilience. The two sides also examined opportunities to position Kenya as a regional hub for pharmaceutical and medical products manufacturing.
“Kenya remains committed to advancing a shared regional health agenda with measurable impact,” Duale stated, emphasizing the need for clear accountability, regular progress reviews, and strengthened technical support to translate partnerships into tangible results.
Held a bilateral meeting with the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) delegation, led by Ntuli Kapologwe, to advance regional collaboration as a key pillar in Kenya’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
I highlighted ongoing health sector… pic.twitter.com/Xa8pmjZNWt
— Hon. Aden Duale, EGH (@HonAdenDuale) March 26, 2026
The meeting further stressed the importance of bolstering preparedness and response systems through enhanced early warning mechanisms, coordinated frameworks, and cross-border planning to better tackle future public health threats.
Duale was joined by Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni, Director-General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, alongside ECSA-HC officials Dr. Evelyn Wesangula and Dr. Khalid Azam.
As Kenya emerges as a model for UHC implementation—with growing interest from countries like Ghana—the engagement underscores Nairobi’s ambition to foster peer learning and collective progress across the region.
