Hard truths. Bold Insights. Real talk.
Over the past decade, access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased from 7.7 million people in 2010 to 31.6 million in 2024, saving millions of lives. However, the rise in ART use has coincided with growing levels of HIV drug resistance.
Samburu Woman Representative Pauline Lenguris said county hospitals are severely understaffed and ill-equipped, lacking even basic supplies such as gloves, essential medicines and blood.
Speaking at a health policy forum in Nairobi themed “Legislating to Save Lives: Strengthening the Legal Framework for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Kenya,” the Seme MP said the figures amount to a national embarrassment that demands urgent action.
In the public notice, the authority outlined the necessary steps for individuals who have inadvertently made incorrect premium payments. To facilitate the refund, claimants must submit three documents: a copy of the M-Pesa statement reflecting the erroneous payment, a copy of a National ID, Alien ID, or passport, and a signed letter addressed to SHA’s CEO, requesting the refund.
Ruto stressed that effective health services start long before hospital visits. He spotlighted the deployment of 107,000 community health promoters in September 2023, the largest primary healthcare workforce ever in Kenya. These promoters have visited 8.9 million households, conducted 9.9 million diabetes screenings identifying 134,000 cases, and carried out 6.5 million hypertension screenings that confirmed 305,000 cases.
Recent findings from WHO’s Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP) show a sharp increase in resistance to essential antibiotics, highlighting a rising public health challenge. Between 2022 and 2024, several countries reported a worrying number of cases where standard treatments no longer work.
Addressing participants at a symposium in Naivasha focused on the Affordable Housing Programme and SHA, CoG Chairman and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi criticised the Health Ministry and Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale for what he described as excessive interference in county healthcare operations.
Speaking on Wednesday during an interview on Radio Generation, she explained the differences between Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the dangers of loneliness, and the need for proper diagnosis before care begins.
Seme MP James Nyikal said the hubs have the full responsibility of finding donors, collecting units, and carrying out all tests, processing and storage, while the satellite centres mainly focus on donor mobilisation, collecting blood and forwarding samples to their respective regional centres.
The President said the country must urgently reverse rising maternal and newborn deaths through better data, faster emergency response, and improved frontline care.
Legislators said the shift from the previous Linda Mama Programme has left many women without support, exposing them to unnecessary confinement after delivery.
In an advisory issued on Tuesday, the Council said families have a constitutional right to dignity and a timely burial for their loved ones, a right that does not end at death.
The Federal Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) announced the detection of the virus, following laboratory confirmation by the National Reference Laboratory on November 14, 2025.
While strides have been made in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, persistent funding gaps, uneven social protection coverage, and the concentration of TB cases in a few high-burden countries threaten to reverse these hard-won gains.
The bill sets out strict rules prohibiting activities such as sex selection, selling embryos or gametes, and human cloning, with violators facing severe penalties. It also aligns with Article 43 (1)(a) of the Constitution, guaranteeing every Kenyan the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation, Dr. Olweny said the gap in cancer personnel remains vast, and growing demand will not be met simply by training more specialists.
The ministry maintains it has not issued a directive to stop maternity reimbursements at any facility. However, it notes that level two facilities are not licensed for inpatient services under KMPDC rules and must upgrade infrastructure to safely handle deliveries.
In a bid to strengthen the response, WHO released Sh38 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to assist national authorities in handling the situation immediately.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation on Friday, Dr. Olweny said the public often misunderstands the scale and complexity of cancer, despite the fact that medical knowledge is now shared globally faster than ever before.
KENCO Executive Director Phoebe Ongadi explained that the transition from the old National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to SHA has created additional barriers for those seeking chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and follow-up consultations.
Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) Chairperson Dr. John Munyu called on nations to leverage regulatory harmonisation to expand health product manufacturing and trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
The decision, finalised on November 10, 2025, follows extensive discussions, consultations, and parliamentary review to ensure a smooth changeover. It comes as the Sh20 billion Minet Kenya contract expires on November 30, guaranteeing teachers continued access to medical care without interruptions.
Appearing before the committee chaired by Seme MP, James Nyikal on Monday, November 10, 2025, Mediheal’s Chief Consultant Nephrologist, Dr. A. Srinivas Murthy, was pressed to explain the hospital’s transplant procedures, donor sourcing, and adherence to medical ethics.
Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ahmed Mohamed, announced the partnership Describing it as a milestone in the country’s journey to strengthen its health systems and regulatory capacity.
Mohamed said the new system anchored under the Social Health Authority introduces a more inclusive and equitable healthcare model built around three key funds: the Primary Health Care Fund (PHCF), the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF).
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale explained that the ministry’s strategy includes launching a national Reproductive-Age Mortality Survey to capture accurate data on the causes and scale of deaths among women of reproductive age. In addition, the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) system will be fully digitized and rigorously applied, while stricter clinical standards will be enforced in all health facilities.
Katambo emphasized that some GMO foods are engineered to resist pesticides and disease, increase yield, and improve nutritional quality. However, he stressed the importance of proper regulation.
Dr. Daniel Katambo, consultant physician and CEO of Afyacode and Klinic Reversa, said during an interview on Radio Generation that relying on international benchmarks could lead to misdiagnosis and poor public health policies.
This alert comes after media reports highlighted cases of scammers dressed in uniforms resembling government attire, presenting fake official documents, and collecting sensitive personal information. Some victims reported that their M-Pesa and M-Shwari accounts were accessed illegally, with funds withdrawn within hours.
Highlighting research from a local survey, Katambo said communities that heavily rely on vegan diets could have higher rates of obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes than expected. In some groups, the prevalence of these conditions was measured at 18%, compared with a national average of 3 to 4%.