About 70 percent of Kenyan youth are dissatisfied with the primary health care services in the country, despite government reforms aimed at providing universal health coverage.
According to Afrobarometer’s 2024 Round 10 survey, only 30 percent of young people aged 18 to 35 approve of the government’s performance in improving basic health services, making it one of the lowest-rated areas of public service delivery.
The survey revealed a sharp decline in approval ratings over the past decade. In 2016, 71 percent of young people approved of the government’s performance regarding health services. This figure fell to 66 percent in 2019 and has now dropped to just 30 percent.
This alarming trend emerges despite health being identified as the top priority among young people. Nearly 47 percent of young people listed health as one of the three most pressing issues that the government should address, prioritising it over the cost of living, unemployment, education, and corruption.
“Health is the most important problem that young Kenyans say their government must address, followed by the increasing cost of living, unemployment, education, and corruption,” the report stated.
These worrying statistics emerge a decade and a half after devolution and the implementation of health financing reforms that promised to improve the quality, accessibility, and reliability of basic healthcare services. However, these services remain inconsistent as the system continues to face shortcomings.
At the facility level, there are ongoing challenges. Many public health centres are understaffed and under-resourced. Only seven percent of health facilities provide all basic outpatient services, and just two percent offer the full range of essential care.
Frequent drug shortages and limited diagnostic equipment continue to hinder service delivery, particularly in low-income and rural areas.
Kenya is currently facing an acute shortage of healthcare professionals, with a deficit of over 70,000 health workers, and projections suggest that this shortfall could increase to over 114,000 by 2030.
Financial issues further complicate service delivery, particularly due to the government’s slow transition from the National Health Insurance Fund to the Social Health Insurance Fund. Although registration numbers have increased, only a small percentage of registered individuals actively make contributions.
