Prioritize Quality Healthcare, Civil Society Urges Government

Civil societies and communities working in Kenya’s health sector have raised an alarm about the quality of healthcare after the 90-day suspension of U.S. foreign aid, initiated by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025 which is already hurting the health care systems and will reverse all the gains made over the decades.

While appreciate the American people for a strong and lasting partnership that has advanced healthcare, and especially support that has strengthened Kenya’s healthcare system, expanded access to treatment, prolonged lives, and improved health outcomes across the country, they noted that the US government “Stop-Work Order” has thrown the country into disarray leading to significant disruptions across various sectors including health programs, particularly HIV, TB, and malaria.

Speaking today in Nairobi, Faith Mwende, Programs Manager, Health NGO’s Network (HENNET) said that the suspension has resulted in the closure of over 150 clinics, adversely affecting more than 72,000 patients who rely on antiretroviral therapy.

In addition, Drop-in centers providing comprehensive health and social services have been shut down, along with HIV prevention services for adolescent girls and young women.

Programs targeting TB have also been severely impacted including the procurement and distribution of essential TB commodities, interrupting diagnosis, jeopardizing treatment and prevention efforts.

This disruption threatens to reverse the progress made in controlling these diseases in Kenya.

“Approximately 35,000 healthcare workers, including peer educators, outreach workers, doctors, nurses, and community health workers, have been placed on unpaid leave, leaving no one to provide crucial health care services and exposing millions of Kenyans to new infections and possible deaths,” she averred.

Speaking on the same, Nelson Otwoma, Director, Network for Empowerment of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NEPHAK), reiterated Trump’s abrupt decision to halt funding not only undermines progress made so far, but also betrays trust that has been built over several decades.

Otwoma said that the suspension should be taken with seriousness especially by leaders and the Ministry of Health who seem to downplay its impact on the health sector.

“We want the country to know that we are staring at a national crisis of unimaginable proportions if urgent action is not taken,” he said.

In their urgent appeal, the parties urged the U.S. Government to reverse the ‘Stop-Work Order, and to adhere to basic global health governance principles, which build on cooperation, equality, and exclusivity.

Furthermore, they strongly urged National and County governments in Kenya to step up and treat the current crisis as an emergency. Proactive urgent action should be taken to respond and mitigate the impact of the suspension.

“We call for an urgent mitigation plan to be developed in consultation with stakeholders, and for urgent actions to be taken including through ambitious budget allocations through a supplementary budget for the Financial Year 2024/2025 and increased budget allocation in the Financial Year 2025 2026 budget allocations, “their statement read.

In addition, they challenged the Government to conduct rapid response initiatives to ensure all the missed health services and appointments have been provided to avert the possible foreseeable impact of the Stop work order.

This should be conducted in a transparent manner and information proactively shared with the public on measures being taken to mitigate the impact.

The communities also urged the National and County governments in Kenya to operationalise existing frameworks and mechanisms for transition and long-term sustainability.

This will in turn ensure health is a priority in all levels of government with adequate and sustainable resource allocation.

Kenya has been a major partner of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and a beneficiary of the USAID as well as the Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) grants that have | been supporting HIV, TB and Malaria response.