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Photo by Lau Rey

June 10, 2015

NAIROBI, Kenya—According to a new report released this week by Kenya’s Ministry of Health, the country’s total health expenditure has risen significantly over the past several years, from KSh 163 billion (US$2,155 million) in 2009/10 to KSh 234 billion (US$2,743 million) in 2012/13, representing 6.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.1 At the same time, contributions to the health sector by development partners fell (from 35% in 2009/10 to 26% in 2012/13), signifying the first-ever decline in donor funding for Kenya’s health sector.

The Kenya National Health Accounts 2012/13 report provides these and other key findings from a national survey examining how Kenya finances its healthcare system and how the money is being spent.

Overall, the private sector continues to be the major financier of health, supporting two-fifths of the country’s health sector. A breakdown of health spending by disease condition showed that HIV and AIDS took the largest share of health resources, accounting for nearly one-fifth of all health spending. Reproductive health was second largest share (12.9%), followed by malaria (9.8%). Respiratory infections, vaccine-preventable disease, and noncommunicable diseases each accounted for roughly 6 percent of health spending.

Using this and other data collected, the NHA 2012/13 will prove an important tool for policymakers, programme managers, and other stakeholders. James Macharia, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health, commented, “The institutionalization of NHA as a standard practice will allow the government and stakeholders to access relevant and timely health expenditure data for decision making purposes.” Further, speaking to the utility of the report, Stephen Muchiri, program director of the USAID- and PEPFAR-supported Health Policy Project/Kenya, observed, “The new NHA data will provide critical evidence that will shape decisions around how the health sector will promote service delivery, evaluate health spending, and examine the impact of various health policies and initiatives. These decisions will have a real and lasting impact on the overall health and well-being of the Kenyan people.”