Government Launches 5-Year Plan to Address Health Sector Staffing Shortages

The Ministry of Health unveiled a five-year plan yesterday, May 7, 2026, aimed at resolving staffing deficits within the country’s health sector.

The Kenya Health Human Resource Advisory Council (KHHRAC) Strategic Plan 2025-2030, launched by Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthoni in Nairobi, will address inequalities in health worker distribution across counties as well as their availability, retention, and the provision of specialist services to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

“This plan is designed to resolve the inequities which have led to some counties being understaffed and patients receiving suboptimal services,” stated PS Muthoni.

Strategic Alignment and Policy Standardization

The PS added that the KHHRAC plan would improve health worker planning and data systems, along with continued professional training.

“We are committed to achieving the World Health Organization’s recommended threshold of 45 health workers per 10,000 population. Our current numbers are significantly below this target, and this strategic document is key to rectifying that,” PS Muthoni stated.

Aligned with various national policies, including the Constitution, Health Act and Vision 2030, the plan also ensures that training, deployment, and retention policies are standardized across the country.

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Health Workforce Targets, Monitoring, and Data-Driven Deployment

Muthoni called for close collaboration from all stakeholders in the sector, including national and county governments, professional associations, training institutions, and development partners in the effort to provide comprehensive health care services across the nation

Equal distribution of health workers was also stated as a key priority, with a focus on countries facing chronic shortages and efforts to improve the working conditions for staff in public health facilities.

KHHRAC will be responsible for the overall implementation and monitoring of workforce targets until 2030 and will also review county-level workforce needs and recommend targeted interventions where required.

The launch comes amid continued demands to staff new UHC facilities and reduce patient waiting times, and the Ministry is optimistic that improved data will aid more effective deployment of staff according to the burden of disease and population demand.

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