Kenya has finalized a five-year, US$2.5 billion health cooperation framework with the United States, marking the first African country to negotiate a new bilateral health partnership under Washington’s updated global health strategy.
- •The agreement positions Kenya to receive up to US$1.6 billion in U.S. support for programs targeting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, polio eradication, and disease outbreak preparedness.
- •Under the framework, Kenya will gradually assume greater financial responsibility, pledging US$850 million in domestic health spending over the next five years.
- •The plan includes a phased transition of commodity procurement and frontline health workers from U.S. funding to the Kenyan government payroll, alongside a national rollout of electronic medical records to improve disease tracking and program efficiency.
“This cooperation framework is quite a departure from the past and will have a lasting impact on health for all,” said Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Medical Services.
The framework also integrates private and faith-based health providers through newly designed reimbursement mechanisms, signaling a broader effort to strengthen the country’s health system beyond direct public provision.
“Over the past two months, we have been engaging in very productive discussions with governments around the world about how we can maximize the impact of our health foreign assistance to save lives and build resilient local health systems while simultaneously promoting American interests abroad,” said Brad Smith, Senior Advisor for the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State
In early 2025, the Trump administration canceled 83% of USAID programs and formally announced plans to dismantle the agency, citing alleged mismanagement and a lack of demonstrable results since the end of the Cold War.
Clinics that depended on aid worldwide reported to be at the risk of closing, essential medicines began running low, and rationed antiretroviral treatments threatened to reverse decades of progress in HIV prevention and public health outcomes.
A study published in The Lancet estimates that USAID programs globally have saved more than 90 million lives over the past two decades, largely through reductions in deaths from HIV/AIDS, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases.
The new U.S.-Kenya health agreement reflects a recalibrated American approach to global health aid, emphasizing strategic, performance-driven partnerships over broad, open-ended assistance to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
The deal was signed in Washington by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and witnessed by President William Ruto.
