Health CS Duale Briefs Governors on UHC Progress at CoG Retreat in Kilifi
Kilifi, Kenya - 9th February 2027 - Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Monday addressed governors from all 47 counties at the 2026 Council of Governors (CoG) Retreat in Kilifi County, outlining the government’s health sector reforms and progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The retreat, chaired by CoG Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi, is being held under the theme “Repositioning the Council for Effective Service Delivery in the Current Political Environment,” and brings together county leaders to review shared national and county priorities.
In his address, CS Duale outlined the current state of Kenya’s health sector, highlighting ongoing reforms aimed at expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare and strengthening coordination between the two levels of government.
He also updated the forum on progress under the five-year U.S.–Kenya Health Cooperation Framework, a strategic partnership designed to strengthen national and county health systems while supporting Kenya’s transition toward a sustainable and self-reliant healthcare system.
CS Duale noted that the framework is anchored on six thematic pillars: disease surveillance and outbreak response; laboratory systems strengthening; health workforce development; commodities and supply chain systems; digital health transformation; and strategic investments for sustainability, which he said are critical to advancing the 5th Administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), with health remaining a central pillar.
He emphasized the government’s shift toward multi-year, system-strengthening partnerships aligned with both national and county priorities under the One Plan, One Budget approach, supported by a unified coordination framework.
The CS underscored the need for closer alignment and joint action between Kenya and its development partners to accelerate the delivery of equitable and sustainable Universal Health Coverage.
CS Duale further highlighted the Ministry of Health’s whole-of-government approach to stakeholder engagement, noting that coordinated action and transparent dialogue are essential to achieving better health outcomes for all Kenyans.
The session was attended by Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Ms Mary Muthoni; Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya Carla Benini; Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth; Director of Intergovernmental Relations Dr Ahmed Omar; Acting CEO of the Kenya National Public Health Institute Dr Maureen Kamene; Head of the National AIDS and STI Control Programme Dr Andrew Mulwa; CoG CEO Mary Mwiti; and Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir, H. E Governor of Mombasa County and Chair of the CoG Health Committee, among other senior national and county leaders.