Health Summit 2026: The big talk that Kenya needs

By  Albert Mandela Ogendi

CEO and Executive Director

Luton Medical Hospital

For years, Kenya's healthcare debate has happened in separate rooms. The government has spoken about policy, healthcare workers about working conditions, counties about limited resources, private hospitals about delayed reimbursement and patients about affordability and access.

Everyone has been talking, but too often at each other rather than with each other. That is why the Kenya Health Summit 2026 was such an important moment for the country's health sector.

Held under the theme "Reforms Delivered, Health as a Right," the two-day summit brought together the national government, county governments, the Social Health Authority (SHA), healthcare workers, private and faith-based providers, development partners and regulators. President William Ruto's decision to personally participate in the discussions highlighted the importance of healthcare reform and the need for collective accountability.

Healthcare is an ecosystem. The Ministry of Health cannot succeed without counties, counties cannot succeed without healthcare workers, and SHA cannot deliver Universal Health Coverage (UHC) without hospitals treating its members. Public, private and faith-based facilities all play essential roles, while patients remain at the centre of the system. Continuous dialogue is therefore not optional; it is necessary.

The summit created space for honest conversations about financing, service delivery, accountability and the future of Kenya's healthcare system. SHA remains one of the country's most debated reforms. Concerns over rejected claims, reimbursement delays, tariffs and system challenges are legitimate and should not be dismissed. At the same time, progress deserves recognition.

32.3 million Kenyans

At the summit, the government announced that 32.3 million Kenyans had registered under SHA, compared to about 8 million under the former NHIF. This represents remarkable growth.

Registration alone does not equal UHC. Kenyans must understand their benefits, contribute where required and receive quality healthcare when they need it. Still, bringing millions more people into one national financing framework is an important milestone. SHA has also reported significant payments to healthcare facilities across all 47 counties. While reimbursement challenges remain, the conversation should now shift from asking whether SHA works to asking how it can work better.

One of SHA's biggest inherited challenges was unpaid NHIF debt. Hospitals had already treated patients, purchased medicines, paid staff and incurred operating costs, yet many claims remained unsettled. For many providers, these debts created serious cash-flow problems and threatened service delivery.

The government's commitment to settle verified NHIF legacy claims below Sh10 million is now translating into actual payments. Hundreds of private and faith-based facilities have begun receiving these funds. This is a positive step towards restoring confidence.

Another important issue discussed at the summit was rejected claims. Every health financing system must prevent fraud and protect public resources. However, a rejected claim is not automatically fraudulent. Claims may fail because of documentation errors, coding mistakes or technical problems.

Hospitals should have a transparent process for correcting and resubmitting legitimate claims. Fighting fraud and paying genuine providers promptly should go hand in hand.

The summit also allowed private healthcare providers to explain their role. Private hospitals are sometimes viewed simply as profit-making institutions, yet they provide a substantial share of Kenya's healthcare services. Private providers must remain accountable, maintain ethical standards and comply with regulation. But they should be treated as partners in delivering national healthcare, not competitors to government.

No healthcare reform can succeed without healthcare workers. Kenya has expanded its health workforce over the past decade, but shortages of doctors and nurses remain, especially in underserved counties. Conversations about UHC must include recruitment, remuneration, career progression, training and better working conditions. A hospital filled with modern equipment cannot deliver quality care without motivated professionals to operate it.

Investment in research

County governments are equally important because devolution placed much of healthcare delivery in their hands. Patients do not distinguish between national and county responsibilities. They simply expect medicines to be available, equipment to work and healthcare workers to be present. The summit also highlighted investments in medical equipment across the country.

Looking ahead, Kenya must expand the conversation beyond financing. Local pharmaceutical manufacturing should become both a healthcare and industrial priority to reduce dependence on imported medicines and consumables. Greater investment in research can help generate Kenyan solutions to Kenyan health challenges.

Preventive healthcare must also become a national priority. Screening, healthier diets, physical activity, community health promotion and early detection of diseases can reduce the growing burden of non-communicable diseases while lowering healthcare costs.

The greatest achievement of the Kenya Health Summit was bringing every major player in healthcare into one national conversation. Kenya's health system will always face competing interests. The answer is not less dialogue, but better dialogue.

The Kenya Health Summit should become an annual forum where leaders return to report what was promised, what was achieved, what failed and what must change.

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The writer is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Luton Medical Hospital