Gov't seeks Ksh.5B to sustain HIV programmes after USAID funding freeze

The Ministry of Health is urgently seeking a budget review to secure at least Ksh.5 billion within the next three months and an additional Ksh.13 billion in the next financial year to keep HIV mitigation programs afloat following the USAID funding freeze.

The cuts imposed by the US President Donald Trump administration have left a gaping hole in Kenya’s health financing, with the government now facing the daunting task of raising Ksh.30 billion to sustain critical health programs previously funded by USAID.

Nearly two months have lapsed since Trump issued a series of Executive Orders, among them one freezing funding through USAID. The impact of those orders continues to be felt across countries that were dependent on that aid to sustain vital health programs.

The Kenyan government has now quantified the impact of that freeze, and the gap is significant.

"We are looking for 30 billion, and the money’s not there..." National Assembly Health Committee Chairman Dr. James Nyikal said.

President William Ruto’s Economic Advisor Moses Kuria added: "I am persuaded that this is the best thing to have happened to our country. How long were we expecting others to fund our essential services?"

The funding freeze has set back the country some Ksh.30.9 billion in health financing, a deficit that the government must now find a way to bridge.

"We have not even touched on blood, nutrition, family planning..." Health Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth stated.

Both the county and national governments are now exploring ways of bridging that deficit, and their first stop is the doorstep of the National Assembly. But before the legislators act, the two arms of government will have to work with the existing allocations.

"The second call to action is on MPs to increase allocations to the health sector, particularly for HIV and other programs that were supported. We must prioritize financing for HR and commodities," said Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa.

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga on his part said: "We can move some money from roads to health. I know it will not give us votes, but health is important."

For sustainable financing of the health sector after the aid freeze, a high-level meeting resolved to take several measures.

These include reorganizing the existing health workforce, particularly those affected by the freeze, to support HIV services, boosting local manufacturing of essential medical supplies, and integrating HIV, TB, and malaria care and treatment into the SHA benefits package.

However, before these plans took effect, the Ministry faced tough questions about the efficacy of SHA in its current form.

"SHA is not working. I will tell Waziri… Call us so that we can tell you what is not working, or else you start working on what we term as an exit speech," Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo noted.

The National Treasury was put on the spot for failing to attend the crucial meeting.