Call for Urgent Health Reforms as Kenya Pushes Vaccine Independence and Preventive Care Agenda.

Call for Urgent Health Reforms as Kenya Pushes Vaccine Independence and Preventive Care Agenda.

Director General of the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat, Kenneth Mugia, addresses delegates during the 16th Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), calling for urgent health system reforms and greater investment in preventive care and vaccine manufacturing.

By Jeff Oyugi 

Nairobi - February 11, 2026

Kenya must urgently confront overcrowded hospitals, rising antimicrobial resistance, water stress and sanitation failures if it is to secure the health and productivity of its citizens, the Director General of the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat, Kenneth Mugia, has said.

Speaking during deliberations at the 16th Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Mugia delivered a blunt assessment of the country’s health system, warning that persistent weaknesses are undermining national development and exposing millions to preventable disease.

Mugia decried the state of overcrowding in public health facilities, saying it is unacceptable in 2026 for patients to share beds or be admitted in poorly ventilated and unhygienic wards. He argued that such conditions point to governance and accountability gaps rather than a lack of resources.

“No county in this country receives less than Sh7 billion,” he said. “Kenya has enough money to ensure that every patient sleeps in their own bed in a clean and dignified environment.”

While wealthier Kenyans can turn to private insurance and private hospitals, he noted that the majority rely on public facilities, making it imperative for both national and county governments to prioritise basic standards such as space, sanitation and infection prevention. Failure to do so, he said, amounts to misapplication and waste of public funds.

Mugia linked health system strain to broader environmental pressures, warning that renewed drought and failed rainy seasons have intensified water stress across the country. An estimated 75 to 80 per cent of Kenya is classified as water-stressed, particularly in arid and semi-arid lands, where communities are increasingly forced to rely on unsafe water sources.

“When there is famine and drought, people do not ask about water quality, they just want water,” he said. “But inside that water are bacteria that will cost us billions downstream in treatment.”

He called on county governments, especially in ASAL regions, to treat water provision as an emergency priority and to invest in sustainable solutions that reduce long-term disease burdens. Preventive measures, he emphasised, are far more cost-effective than treating outbreaks after they occur.

The conference brought together researchers and public health experts who echoed the importance of prevention. Professor Emi Pickering of the University of California, Berkeley, who has collaborated with KEMRI for 15 years, said global data shows that access to improved water and sanitation is strongly associated with lower levels of antibiotic resistance.

By reducing early-life exposure to pathogens through better water, sanitation and hygiene, communities reduce disease burden and antibiotic use, which in turn lowers the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, she said. She stressed that infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities, particularly in neonatal and maternity wards, is equally critical.

Kenya’s ambition to achieve greater vaccine self-sufficiency also featured prominently in the discussions. Mugia noted that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains, with many African countries struggling to access timely vaccine supplies. In response, the government established the Kenya Biovax Institute to spearhead local manufacturing, beginning with fill and finish operations and progressively moving toward full-scale production.

“In the last 50 years, vaccines have saved over 150 million lives globally, including more than 110 million children,” Mugia said. “If we vaccinate early, we save billions downstream.”

He acknowledged that Kenya currently invests about 0.8 per cent of GDP in research and development, below the 2 per cent target, but argued that cutting waste within the health system would free up significant resources. Balancing debt obligations, recurrent expenditures and development priorities remains a challenge, he said, but health must remain central.

“Whether you are president or pauper, when you are sick, everything stops,” he said. “Health is the only real priority.”

Researchers presented sobering evidence of emerging threats within health facilities themselves. Dr Anne Amulele of the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi shared findings on drug-resistant infections among newborns, particularly those caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae. Surveillance data collected between 2020 and 2023 in several public hospitals showed repeated outbreaks in neonatal units, with some facilities recording mortality rates exceeding 20 per cent among infected babies.

In Kilifi County Hospital, long-term surveillance has documented 30 to 40 neonatal infections annually. In one outbreak at Kiambu Level 5 Hospital, 29 babies were affected within a month. Many of the affected newborns are preterm or of low birth weight, with underdeveloped immune systems and limited treatment options due to antimicrobial resistance.

“These are very vulnerable babies,” Dr Anne said. “The bacteria they encounter in hospital environments are often multi-drug resistant, and doctors have very limited options.”

Her team is using genomic analysis to identify the dominant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae circulating in hospitals, with the aim of informing the development of a maternal vaccine. The proposed approach would involve vaccinating expectant mothers so they can pass protective antibodies to their babies through the placenta and breast milk.

Although no vaccine is currently available, researchers say understanding the dominant strains is the first step. However, they cautioned that vaccines alone will not solve the problem without improved infection prevention, reduced overcrowding and strengthened laboratory capacity for timely diagnosis.

Speakers also addressed the growing global challenge of vaccine hesitancy and the need to build trust in public health institutions.

Mugia stressed that regulatory bodies must operate above reproach to maintain confidence in locally manufactured vaccines and medical products.

Reflecting on Kenya’s broader development agenda as the country approaches the final stretch of Vision 2030, Mugia called for a comprehensive audit of flagship projects to identify what has worked and what has not. The lessons, he said, will inform the next long-term plan, potentially aligned with Kenya’s centenary in 2063 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

For now, he insisted, the immediate task is clear, eliminate waste, strengthen preventive healthcare, ensure clean and dignified hospitals, and invest in water, sanitation and vaccination.

“There are some things we should never compromise on,” he said. “Clean hospitals. Safe water. Early vaccination. These are not luxuries. They are the foundation of a healthy and productive nation.”