Health Reforms Take Root in Lamu as Duale Champions Community-Driven UHC Rollout

Lamu, 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 – 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fast-tracking Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with a strong call for grassroots participation during a community engagement in Lamu County. 

In a bid to deepen public understanding and accelerate reform uptake, the CS outlined the Ministry’s four-pronged strategy under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA): digital health transformation, reliable access to essential medicines, investment in healthcare workers, and sustainable, fair health financing.

Tackling the long-standing issue of medical stock-outs, the CS announced key reforms at KEMSA, including recapitalization and enhanced accountability systems. He reiterated the Ministry’s goal of achieving a 100% order fill rate across all public health facilities, enabled by a digitized, end-to-end supply chain and a national track-and-trace system to ensure every medical product is accounted for from supplier to patient.

Addressing maternal and child health, Hon. Duale called on families to prioritize immunization, aiming to raise Lamu’s childhood vaccination coverage from 60% to 100%. He also urged health facilities to enhance antenatal and maternity care to reduce preventable maternal deaths.

The CS encouraged county leadership, religious leaders, cultural elders, youth groups, and the media to support the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA), which has already registered over 70,000 individuals in Lamu. He emphasized the importance of community-led awareness and oversight to ensure that SHA benefits reach every household.

Hon. Duale also issued a strong warning against quack practitioners and unethical operations in health facilities, vowing to safeguard SHA resources and enforce professional standards across the sector.