Kenya formally adopted the outcomes of its 4th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the UN Human Rights Council in October 2025, marking the beginning of the country's transition from commitments to implementation. Following the adoption, the State Department for Justice initiated processes to consolidate inputs from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) into a national implementation plan for the 2026-2030 cycle. In this context, civil society actors have been working to ensure that recommendations accepted in Geneva translate into concrete policy and budget changes at national and county levels.

 

To support this transition, the Right to Health UPR Thematic Group, through KELIN-Kenya, convened a consultative meeting in Machakos County on 4-5 February 2026. The meeting was built on earlier work by the thematic group, including the development of a five-year implementation matrix aligned with  recommendations from peer countries.

 

The primary aim was to analyse the adopted recommendations, develop a coordinated advocacy and communications plan for the group, and inform the government's forthcoming implementation framework.

 

Our Associate Programme Officer - Africa, Roselyne Onyango, worked with national organisations to map advocacy priorities and identify key institutions responsible for implementing the right to health recommendations.

 

Discussions revisited the thematic areas highlighted in our report, which included: health financing, HIV prevention, tuberculosis treatment, sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), mental health, and digital health. These were clustered into three working streams, with Roselyne participating in the group focused on mapping the advocacy on health financing and implementation tracking.

 

Key priorities included strengthening oversight and accountability within the Social Health Authority (SHA), ensuring clarity and equity in the roll-out of new financing reforms such as Taifa Cre and primary healthcare funds, and pushing for sustainable domestic resource mobilisation. Civil society actors emphasised the need for policy benchmarks that move Kenya closer to its Abuja Declaration commitment of allocating at least 15% of the national budget to health, alongside clearer transition plans for donor-funded health programmes. Additionally, system-level priorities were identified, including expanding comprehensive primary healthcare to include rehabilitative services, improving rural access to healthcare, and strengthening the role of Community Health Promoters by fast-tracking the Community Health Services Bill (2023).

 

These discussions were anchored in a shared recognition that translating UPR commitments into meaningful change requires targeted engagement with both national and sub-national actors. As such, the group mapped advocacy entry points across MDAs, parliamentary committees, county governments, and intergovernmental platforms such as the Council of Governors, ensuring that follow-up efforts are aligned with Kenya’s decentralised health governance framework.

 

Our participation in this consultative process reflects GIESCR’s ongoing commitment to bridging global human rights mechanisms and national implementation. By working alongside Kenyan partners, we continue to support coordinated civil society advocacy, strengthen accountability on the right to health, and advance sustainable public financing as a cornerstone of equitable healthcare systems.

 

As Kenya prepares to finalise its 2026-2030 UPR implementation plan, continued civil society engagement will be critical to ensuring that international commitments are translated into tangible improvements in access, affordability, and quality of healthcare for all.