Article Sidebar

Submitted
June 25, 2025
Accepted
December 15, 2025
Published
December 29, 2025
Download
Download PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 39

Main Article Content

Abstract

Background: Kenya’s health diplomacy has focused on bilateral and multilateral negotiations on health protocols. The 2015 adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 on health, provided a framework for Kenya to strengthen its international health diplomacy and global partnerships.


Methods: This study adopted a mixed-methods design combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected from 204 purposively selected participants: 89 government officials, 32 diplomats, and 83 health experts. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically using NVivo and complemented by quantitative data analyzed using SPSS, employing descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and regression analysis.


Results: Findings revealed a strong positive and significant correlation between participation in international health negotiations and UHC financing protocols (r = .839, β = 1.107, p < 0.01; R² = 0.704). Qualitative results reinforced that diplomatic engagement enhanced external support and resource mobilization for UHC financing in Kenya.


Conclusion: The study concludes that Kenya’s active participation in health protocol negotiations has strengthened its influence in global health governance, despite limited technical expertise and funding.

Keywords

Health negotiations universal health coverage health financing global health governance

Article Details

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Stephen Nyaga, Shazia Chaudhry , Ludeki Chweya

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Stephen Nyaga, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Stephen Nyaga is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Diplomacy and International Studies at the University of Nairobi. He holds relevant experience in foreign policy and health diplomacy research, with a focus on Kenya’s participation in international health negotiations and the role of multilateral institutions in advancing universal health coverage. His research interests include global health governance, policy analysis, and the intersection of diplomacy and development.

Shazia Chaudhry , University of Nairobi, Kenya

Shazia Chaudhry is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Diplomacy and International Studies at the University of Nairobi. She holds extensive experience in international relations, foreign policy analysis, and global Environmental governance. Her research interests focus on diplomacy, multilateral negotiations, and the role of international institutions in shaping national and regional policy outcomes.

Ludeki Chweya, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Dr. Ludeki Chweya is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Nairobi. He has extensive experience in governance, public policy, and political analysis. His research interests include public administration reforms, policy implementation, governance challenges in developing countries, and the intersection of politics and development in Africa.

How to Cite
Nyaga, S., Chaudhry , S., & Chweya, L. (2025). Kenya’s Participation in Health Negotiations on the Universal Health Coverage Financing Protocol. Pan-African Journal of Health and Environmental Science, 4(2), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.56893/ajhes2025v04i02.07
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX

References

  1. Akindele, A., & Eze, P. (2020). Challenges in implementing the Abuja health-financing commitment: Lessons from the field. African Development Review, 32(3), 58–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/adr.12345
  2. Akumu, W., & Otieno, M. (2022). Global health diplomacy and Kenya’s role in the Alma-Ata Declaration. African Journal of Public Health, 45(3), 112–125. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajph/45.3.112
  3. Mbau, R., Kabia, E., Honda, A., Hanson, K., & Barasa, E. (2020). Examining purchasing reforms towards universal health coverage by the National Hospital Insurance Fund in Kenya. International Journal for Equity in Health, 19, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-019-1116-x
  4. Kairu, A., Orangi, S., Mbuthia, B., Barasa, E., Guleid, F., Keru, J., Vilcu, I., & Musuva, A. (2023). The impact of COVID-19 on health financing in Kenya. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(10), e0001852. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001852
  5. Keohane, R. O., & Lisa, L. M. (2021). Institutional theory as a research program. Annual Review of Political Science, 24(1), 285–308. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-051820-100001
  6. United Nations Population Fund. (2020). Accelerating the promise: The report on the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25. UNFPA. https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/20-038_UNFPA-NairobiSummitReport-EN-v11251-web.pdf
  7. Ministry of Health (Kenya). (2021). Universal Health Coverage Policy and Strategic Plan 2021–2026. Government Printer, Nairobi. https://www.health.go.ke
  8. Mutua, B., & Maina, P. (2023). Revisiting Abuja: Public budgeting and health outcomes in Kenya. Journal of African Policy Studies, 7(2), 89–110. https://doi.org/10.5678/japs.2023.7.2.89
  9. Mwangi, M., & Gathara, K. (2019). The challenges of implementing the MDGs health goals in Kenya. Journal of Development Studies, 45(3), 52–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2019.1581234
  10. Nyawira, L., Machira, Y., Munge, K., Chuma, J., & Barasa, E. (2024). Examining the implementation experience of the Universal Health Coverage pilot in Kenya. Health Systems & Reform, 10(3), 2418808. https://doi.org/10.1080/23288604.2024.2418808
  11. Republic of Kenya. (1965). Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 on African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya. Government Printer, Nairobi. http://libraryir.parliament.go.ke/handle/123456789/33810
  12. Karimi, J., Hussien, S., Wangia, E., Kimani, M. I., Muganda, R., Ndirangu, R., Mwai, D., Wanjala, M., & Richter, F. (2025). Approaches to implementing and financing primary health care in Kenya: A case of seven counties. Frontiers in Health Services, 5, 1298379. https://doi.org/10.3389/frhs.2025.1298379
  13. Were, B. N., Mwangi, E. M., & Muiruri, L. W. (2024). Barriers of access to primary healthcare services by National Health Insurance Fund capitated members in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. BMC Health Services Research, 24, 1025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11282-8
  14. Lee, K., & Kamradt-Scott, A. (2014). The multiple meanings of global health governance: A call for conceptual clarity. Globalization and Health, 10, 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8603-10-28
  15. Olatunji, O. A. (2023). Going it alone or acting as a collective? Evaluating the East African Community policy on implementing TRIPS obligations. Journal of African Law, 68(1), 19–39. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855323000323
  16. Gitobu, C. M., Gichangi, P. B., & Mwanda, W. O. (2018). The effect of Kenya’s free maternal health care policy on the utilization of health facility delivery services and maternal and neonatal mortality in public health facilities. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 18(1), 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-018-1708-2
  17. Harrington, J. (2023). National identities in global health: Kenya’s vaccine diplomacy during the COVID 19 pandemic. African Affairs, 122(488), 377–401. https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adad012
  18. Owino, L., Wangong’u, A., Were, N., & Maleche, A. (2021). The missing link in Kenya’s universal health coverage experiment: A preventive and promotive approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 28(2), 1851347. https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2020.1851347
  19. Bataliack, S., Ebongue, P., Saha Tahoum, U. A., & Karamagi, H. (2024). Atlas 2022 of African health statistics: Key results towards achieving the health-related SDGs targets. Health Policy Open, 6, 100121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpopen.2024.100121
  20. Farsaci, L., Fleming, P., Caffrey, L., van Belle, S., O’Donoghue, C., Almirall Sánchez, A., Mockler, D., & Thomas, S. (2025). Barriers and facilitators to international universal health coverage reforms: A realist review. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 14, 8709. https://doi.org/10.34172/ijhpm.8709
  21. Kurgat, P. K., Kurgat, A. J., & Juma, T. O. (2020). The impact of infectious diseases on Kenya’s health diplomacy: An interstate phenomenon. Archives of Business Research, 8(2), 169–189. https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.82.7807
  22. Oraro, L. T., & Berman, P. (2020). Policy levers and priority setting in universal health coverage: A qualitative analysis of healthcare financing agenda setting in Kenya. BMC Health Services Research, 20, 504. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-5041-x
  23. Ministry of Health, Republic of Kenya. (2020). Kenya Universal Health Coverage Policy 2020–2030: Accelerating attainment of Universal Health Coverage. Government of Kenya. https://repository.kippra.or.ke/handle/123456789/3566