Kenya’s free maternity and primary healthcare services are facing a serious financial crisis that could undermine access to essential care unless urgent funding is released, the Ministry of Health has revealed. Officials say that without a substantial injection of resources, community health facilities, including maternity units, risk reduced services or even temporary shutdowns — a situation that would disproportionally affect the poorest and most vulnerable populations.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told lawmakers that the government must urgently address a significant funding gap to sustain the Primary Healthcare (PHC) Fund, which underpins preventive, maternal and basic health services across the country. Delays in reimbursements and shortfalls in allocated budgets have left many frontline facilities unable to cope with operational costs such as medicines, supplies and staff support.
According to the Ministry, an immediate Sh5.9 billion is needed to clear outstanding claims owed to hospitals, health centres and dispensaries under the PHC Fund. These pending payments, which have accumulated over time, have strained facilities that depend on timely reimbursements to run daily operations. Without this injection, facilities may struggle to deliver free services that millions of Kenyans rely on.
Beyond the outstanding bills, the Ministry says an additional Sh11.9 billion is required in the supplementary budget to cover projected funding shortfalls for primary health care through June 2026. On top of this, Sh2.04 billion is needed specifically to support the free maternity care package, which guarantees pregnant women access to services ranging from antenatal care to safe delivery at no cost.
The PHC Fund is a cornerstone of Kenya’s universal health coverage strategy, designed to ensure that services such as immunisation, antenatal and postnatal care, treatment of communicable diseases, basic diagnostics and health education are available to all, especially in underserved areas. However, health officials warn that persistent funding challenges threaten the effectiveness of this framework and could reverse gains made in maternal and child health.
Healthcare advocates have expressed concern that prolonged underfunding might lead to medicine stockouts, reduced clinic hours and compromised maternal services. In rural and marginalised areas where private care options are limited or unaffordable, any disruption in free services could have serious consequences for health outcomes and deepen inequities.
Critics say that the looming funding gap highlights broader challenges in health financing, including delays in budget execution and the need for more consistent prioritisation of primary care in national planning. While overall allocations to the health sector have increased in recent years, stakeholders argue that predictable and timely release of funds is critical to sustaining essential services on the ground.
Members of Parliament are expected to debate the Ministry’s funding requests during ongoing budget deliberations. Lawmakers have emphasised the importance of ensuring that health facilities are adequately funded to deliver services, even as they balance competing national priorities within a constrained fiscal environment.
Public health experts underscore that investing in primary and maternity healthcare pays long-term dividends by preventing disease, reducing maternal and infant mortality, and lowering the burden on higher-level hospitals. When funding falters, these preventive and life-saving services become vulnerable, threatening progress in national health indicators.
As discussions on the supplementary budget continue, the Ministry of Health has urged that allocations reflect the realities faced by health facilities, many of which have operated under financial strain for months. Officials stress that closing the funding gap is not a matter of convenience but a necessity to preserve access to care for millions — particularly mothers, newborns, children and the most economically disadvantaged.
The coming weeks will be critical as policymakers decide whether to prioritise the additional resources needed to avert a breakdown in services that are central to Kenya’s health commitments and constitutional guarantees of the right to healthcare.
Image by KBC
