Health Policy Project

The Health Policy Project ended in 2016. Work continued under Health Policy Plus (HP+) until 2022.

Kenya

 

 

Overview

Over the past several decades, Kenya has become an economic hub in East Africa. However, many segments of the population have minimal access to high-quality healthcare and social services. In 2010, the Government of Kenya enacted a new constitution which outlines a framework to alleviate poverty, with a focus on improving governance and addressing inequalities in health, education, and economic growth. The new constitution creates a new, restructured system of devolved governance with two tiers of elected government at national and county levels. As a result, health-related policies and regulations will need to be revised in order to help the government attain its goal of strengthening the national healthcare system, particularly at the county and community levels.

What We Do

The Health Policy Project (HPP) is working with partners in Kenya to strengthen the country’s health systems during the transition to a devolved system of government and a decentralized health infrastructure. Our programs provide technical assistance to strengthen the use of data and evidence in formulating effective new health policies and laws. We also work with government and health institutions to develop effective and efficient financing mechanisms that maximize the country’s funding resources to deliver high-quality, equitable, and affordable healthcare services to all Kenyans.

Provide Assistance in Policy Formulation, Dissemination, and Implementation

Sound policies based on a solid base of data and evidence are the cornerstone of every country’s health systems. HPP works with several ministries and agencies within the Government of Kenya to help strengthen the use of evidence-based decision-making in formulating new health laws and policy documents. Our program also promotes open dialogue, helping form consensus in implementing new decentralized health strategies that expand the reach of essential services and commodities.

Strengthen Capacity for Results-Based Health Financing and Budgeting

HPP provides support to government ministries, health institutions, and other organizations to develop innovative and equitable financing strategies that enhance access to healthcare. We also provide technical assistance in implementing information systems to track costs and expenditures and monitor service delivery areas. As a result, stakeholders are better able to analyze the effectiveness of these strategies and use this information to maximize the resources needed to improve the health of Kenyans, especially poor and marginalized populations.

Image of delegates attending HPP workshop
Delegates attending HPP workshop

Strengthen Capacity of Kenyan Institutions to Participate in Health Policy Formulation

To help ensure long-term sustainability in Kenyan health policy, HPP is working to build the capacity of local institutions to engage Ministry of Health and other government officials during the decision-making process and lend their voice to formulate policies that ensure equitable access to health services. We also provide technical assistance to these organizations to help them monitor and evaluate their capacity development plans and improve their overall effectiveness.  

Publications and Resources

Political Will for Health System Devolution in Kenya: Insights from Three Counties
To improve understanding of political will for the devolution of Kenya’s health sector, the USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project (HPP) conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with key informants in January 2015—involving the national government, three county-level governments, and consultants—to explore what incentives are driving political will for the devolution of Kenya’s health sector.

ImpactNOW Application in Kenya
To generate evidence to support Kenya’s investment in family planning and motivate elected leaders and decisionmakers at the national and county levels to act, Kenya’s National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) and the USAID-funded Health Policy Project (HPP) applied the ImpactNow policy model. The Microsoft Excel–based model uses different scenarios to quantify the short-term health and economic benefits of family planning.   

Family Planning in Kenya: Saving Lives, Saving Money
The USAID-funded Health Policy Project applied its new ImpactNow model to estimate the near-term benefits of achieving family planning goals in Kenya. This brief describes some key benefits associated with achieving these goals, and offers recommendations for the government of Kenya and development partners to increase investment in and improve family planning services in the country.

Health Policy Project Helps Generate US$30 Million for Strategic Health Commodities Including ARVs in Kenya
The USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project (HPP) in Kenya helped the Ministry of Health (MOH) secure an allocation of KSh 2.9 billion (approximately US$30 million) in the 2015/16 national budget to purchase HIV commodities and other strategic health commodities. Of this, US$21 to 23 million will go to purchase antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and HIV testing kits. 

Kenya National Health Accounts 2012/2013
Published by the Kenya Ministry of Health, the Kenya National Health Accounts 2012/13 (NHA 2012/13) details the flow of resources in the country’s health sector. The NHA 2012/13, which tracks who provides goods and services and how resources are distributed across the health system, presents data by total health expenditure and by major disease area. Findings from the NHA 2012/13 will help to inform policy processes and form the basis for policy dialogue in health financing.

2013 Kenya Household Health Expenditure and Utilisation Survey
The 2013 Kenya Household Health Expenditure and Utilisation Survey (2013 KHHEUS), explores the health-seeking behavior, use of healthcare services, out-of-pocket health spending, and health insurance coverage of Kenyan households. The 2013 KHHEUS was conducted by the Kenya Ministry of Health with support from the USAID-funded Health Policy Project and in conjunction with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 

Resource Needs for the Kenya Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan: Analysis Using the OneHealth Tool
In Kenya, at the request of the Ministries of Health, HPP provided technical assistance in applying OneHealth to cost the Kenya Health Sector Strategic Plan III, 2012-2017, reflecting the interventions under the Kenya Essential Package of Health, as well as national disease strategies for programs that include HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, non-communicable diseases, maternal, reproductive, and child health. 

Catastrophic Health Expenditures and Impoverishment in Kenya
Using data from the Kenya Household Health Expenditure and Utilization Surveys and descriptive analysis, the Health Policy Project, with support from USAID and PEPFAR, estimated the incidence and intensity of catastrophic healthcare expenditure and impoverishment in Kenya in 2003 and 2007.

Kenya County Health Fact Sheets
HPP worked with the Kenya Ministry of Health to create 47 County Health Fact Sheets that provide a county-level snapshot of selected health indicators in Kenya. They display county-specific health data and compare those data to national figures. The fact sheets bring together data from a wide array of sources and are intended to be a quick reference for a broad audience, including advocates, policymakers, health sector stakeholders, and development partners. To view or download the fact sheets for individual counties, click here.

View all Kenya Publications

News 

Health Policy Project Helps Generate US$30 Million for Strategic Health Commodities Including ARVs in Kenya

HPP Supports KEMSA to Disseminate Its Strategic Plan

Kenya Releases First Health Survey to Capture County-Level Data; Explores a Decade of Health Care Utilization and Costs

In Kenya: Health Expenditure Up, Donor Funding Down

ImpactNow launched in Kenya
 

View all Kenya News

Partners

HPP collaborates with a range of in-country and international partners in Kenya, including:

  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) 
  • Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA)
  • Kenya National Bureau of Statistics
  • Ministry of Medical Services  
  • Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation
  • National AIDS Control Council
  • National HIV/AIDS and STD Control Programme
  • The World Bank
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
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The Health Policy Project is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development under Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-10-00067, beginning September 30, 2010. The project's HIV-related activities are supported by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It is implemented by Futures Group, in collaboration with Plan International USA, Avenir Health (previously Futures Institute), Partners in Population and Development, Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO), Population Reference Bureau (PRB), RTI International, and White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA). The information provided on this Web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government.

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