At a time when Kenya’s health sector is under pressure from rising patient numbers, funding reforms and increased payroll deductions, Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader, Rigathi Gachagua has sharply criticised the government over what he terms reduced prioritisation of healthcare in the national budget, saying the trend is putting lives and service delivery at risk.
Speaking during the presentation of the party’s alternative budget at DCP headquarters on Friday, he argued that despite higher taxes and increased deductions from workers, allocations to health have continued to drop in proportion, weakening hospitals, staffing levels and access to essential medicine across the country.
He said the sector, which directly affects every citizen, should be shielded from budget cuts and treated as a core national priority alongside education and agriculture.
"Kenya's priority sectors are education, health, and agriculture. These sectors touch every Kenyan and every facet of our lives," he stated.
Gachagua maintained that earlier administrations committed a higher share of the national budget to healthcare, but said the situation has changed even as demand for medical services continues to grow.
"On matters health, the sector has historically received between six to eight per cent of the total budget. Unfortunately, and painfully, under the current budget estimates, the sector has been allocated a paltry 3.5% of the total budget. This is despite the fact that Kenyans are paying more taxes and higher SHA deductions than ever before."
His remarks come at a time when health funding has remained a central policy debate, with allocations rising in absolute terms over recent years due to reforms under the Social Health Authority and expansion of primary healthcare, even as concerns persist about staffing gaps, medicine shortages and rising demand. The health docket is currently overseen by Aden Duale, who has in recent engagements acknowledged funding pressures facing the sector and called for stronger investment to sustain ongoing reforms.
Gachagua questioned the government’s spending priorities, arguing that essential services were being squeezed while administrative expenditure continued to grow.
"What is more important to citizens of any nation, if not healthcare? A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. In any case, a nation's greatest resource is its people. These people must be healthy and productive."
He further pointed to rising allocations to State House and other government operations, saying resources could be redirected to critical public services if fiscal discipline was applied.
"Despite suffocating critical sectors, the government continues to increase allocations to non-essential expenditure. The presidency and State House have continued to expand up to Sh17 billion in this year's budget. This is funding opulence and corruption."
Gachagua warned that continued underfunding of health was directly affecting service delivery in hospitals and communities across the country.
"Health should be funded as a core human right and an investment in productivity," he stated.
Through the DCP alternative budget, he proposed a major shift in spending priorities, calling for increased investment in the sector to strengthen public hospitals and improve access to care.
"Health currently receives only 3.5% of the budget, far below the 15% Abuja Declaration target. We demand an increase to at least 9.5% of the budget to strengthen county hospitals, improve staffing, ensure medicine availability, and make healthcare affordable and accessible for Kenyans."
He also pushed for a significant increase in total health sector funding, arguing that stronger investment would improve both public wellbeing and economic productivity.
The 15% Abuja Declaration, adopted by African Union member states in 2001, committed countries to allocate at least 15% of their national budgets to health in order to strengthen systems and improve access to care.
However, many countries, including Kenya, have struggled to meet the target consistently despite rising demand for services and ongoing reforms in universal health coverage.
The party further proposed increasing health sector funding from approximately Sh174 billion to Sh450 billion, arguing that stronger investment in hospitals and medical services would improve public wellbeing and contribute to economic growth.
Gachagua concluded that restoring and expanding health funding was key to national development and long-term economic stability.
"A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. A nation's greatest resource is its people. These people must be healthy and productive," he highlighted.