By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, August 18 ,2026 - The United Nations has pledged to support Kenya’s health reforms as the country moves from policy development to implementation across all 47 counties.
Speaking during the Kenya Health Summit 2026 in Nairobi, UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya Dr Garry Conille said the UN would work alongside national and county governments to strengthen the health system without taking over responsibilities that belong to Kenyan institutions.
“For our part, the United Nations stands ready to align its collective offer behind Kenya’s institutions, not to substitute for them but to strengthen their ability to deliver for every Kenyan,” Conille said.
He said the UN would provide technical expertise, evidence and standards, while supporting national and county health systems, primary healthcare, health security and financing analysis.
Conille said Kenya had established an important foundation through reforms in social health insurance, primary healthcare, digital health and facility financing, alongside the Social Health Authority (SHA), primary care networks and an expanded community health workforce.
However, he said the real test would be whether those reforms improve the experience of ordinary Kenyans seeking care.
“The theme you have chosen, reforms delivered, health as a right, sets a demanding standard and I believe the right one,” he said.
“It builds on the premise that a right is not measured in the law that proclaims it, it is measured in the life of the person who actually claims it.”
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Conille said a successful health system should ensure that mothers receive timely and respectful care, community health promoters can complete referrals, clinicians have access to prescribed medicines and families can seek treatment without fearing financial hardship.
He identified financing, health workers, essential medicines and reliable data as key areas that must move together if Kenya is to translate its reforms into better services.
The UN official also urged the two levels of government to work as one system and protect essential health services as external funding patterns change.
He welcomed plans to adopt a summit communiqué and a joint Universal Health Coverage acceleration plan, saying the commitments should have clear timelines, responsibilities and mechanisms for public accountability.
Drawing on his experience as a physician and public servant, Conille said health reforms ultimately depend on the people implementing them.
“Systems do not deliver simply because they are well designed. They deliver because of people, and that's what we're seeing: leaders, health workers, communities, keep faith in one another,” he said.