Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has held high-level consultations with United States officials on the ongoing transition to a new Government-to-Government (G2G) financing model under the Kenya-US health cooperation framework.
Duale hosted US Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Carla Benini, who led the American delegation to the meeting attended by representatives from PwC and the Project Management Unit (PMU).
The talks focused on assessing progress in the transition, reviewing agreed milestones and strengthening governance arrangements supporting the new cooperation framework.
Duale stressed the need for a structured, transparent and accountable transition that safeguards the continuity of essential health services while enhancing Government ownership, strengthening systems and building institutional capacity.
The discussions covered governance and oversight, risk and capacity assessments, transition milestones and preliminary findings. Both sides reaffirmed that major decisions would continue to be handled through established bilateral governance structures.
They also agreed that the outstanding risk and capacity assessment should be completed within a jointly agreed and clearly defined timeframe.
Duale further emphasised the importance of predictable, transparent and consistent financing throughout the transition period.
The meeting also reviewed the outstanding disbursement instrument required to operationalise Kenya’s on-budget financial commitment under the new arrangement.
The consultations reaffirmed that the transition is being implemented within a Government-approved framework designed to strengthen accountability, improve the use of Government systems and ensure continuity of critical health programmes.
The framework also seeks to maximise the effective utilisation of available resources for the benefit of Kenyans while supporting the country’s broader Universal Health Coverage agenda.
The Ministry of Health said the Government remains committed to working closely with the US Government and other partners to ensure the transition results in a sustainable, Government-led model of health cooperation aligned with Kenya’s health priorities.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni, and Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth.
Also present were Heidi O’Bra of the US Embassy, representatives from PwC and the PMU, as well as heads of semi-autonomous government agencies and directorates within the Ministry of Health.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
