The Ministry of Health is making a renewed push for digital transformation in HIV care, seeking an allocation of Sh140 million in the 2025/26 financial year to establish a centralised digital database. This initiative is part of a broader effort to modernise healthcare infrastructure and ensure the continuity of essential services amid growing concerns over reduced donor funding. By digitising HIV-related health records and integrating them into Kenya’s national digital health superhighway, the ministry aims to enhance data accessibility, improve service delivery, and safeguard against interruptions caused by fluctuating international aid.
The envisioned system would allow healthcare providers across the country to securely access patient records in real time, irrespective of their location. This would not only improve treatment outcomes but also foster efficient data-driven decision-making. According to the Ministry of Health, integrating HIV programme systems into the digital superhighway is a crucial step toward building a sustainable and resilient health sector that can withstand external financial shocks. The ministry emphasises that with donor support becoming increasingly uncertain, Kenya must invest in robust local systems to ensure uninterrupted HIV care for the more than 1.4 million people living with HIV in the country.
In addition to the digital integration funds, the ministry is urgently seeking at least Sh5 billion within the next three months and a further Sh13 billion in the upcoming fiscal year to maintain HIV prevention and treatment programmes. These urgent funding needs follow a substantial cut in international assistance, particularly from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has historically been a significant contributor to Kenya’s health financing. The freeze on USAID funding, initiated under the administration of former US President Donald Trump, has left the government grappling with a Sh30 billion shortfall in health sector financing.
Health Director-General Patrick Amoth noted that the government is also exploring avenues for local production of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) as a long-term strategy to reduce reliance on imports and donor-funded medical supplies. The potential for local manufacturing, coupled with enhanced domestic resource mobilisation, is seen as a key pathway to achieving self-reliance in the health sector.
Despite the financial strain, some government officials view the situation as an opportunity for Kenya to take ownership of its health programmes. Economic Advisor to the President, Moses Kuria, described the funding cuts as a turning point, arguing that Kenya should not depend indefinitely on foreign aid for essential services. However, the immediate reality remains grim, with widespread disruptions to health services, job losses, and clinic closures reported following the aid freeze.
The National Assembly Health Committee has called for increased budgetary allocations to the health sector, particularly for HIV programmes, while county governments are considering reallocating funds from other development projects. Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga suggested diverting funds from infrastructure projects to health, stressing the critical importance of maintaining essential services over political expediency.
To ensure long-term sustainability, government officials and stakeholders have proposed a series of measures, including reorganising the health workforce to support HIV care, boosting local production of medical supplies, and integrating HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria care into the Social Health Authority (SHA) benefits package. However, the effectiveness of SHA has come under scrutiny, with calls for urgent reforms to make the programme functional and responsive to current challenges.
Kenya’s dependency on donor funding for its HIV response has long been a vulnerability. Between 2021 and 2022, about 63.5 percent of HIV programme funding came from external sources, with 37 percent contributed by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar). With Pepfar’s support now suspended, Kenya must confront the realities of funding shortfalls and move decisively to strengthen domestic investment in healthcare systems.
As the government seeks to close the financing gap, the push for digital transformation in HIV care remains a top priority, seen as a vital tool to ensure sustainability, efficiency, and equitable access to services for all Kenyans affected by the epidemic.
