Issue
Kenya’s Constitution guarantees the right to health, yet significant disparities in access to quality healthcare persist, especially for marginalised communities. These voices remain underrepresented in shaping healthcare policy.
Project partners
How we are helping
This project aims to contribute to improved healthcare for all, by advancing health equity and strengthening accountability through changes in legislation, policies, and practices. It seeks to support civil society organisations to advocate for health reforms.
About the project
Healthcare inequities in Kenya disproportionately affect women, rural populations, and marginalised groups. Systemic barriers, including inadequate facilities and discriminatory practices, hinder access to quality healthcare. The Universal Health Coverage pilot programme in Kenya was a crucial step towards reducing health inequalities, with a focus on increasing the affordability of care, but is yet to yield significant results. Similarly, although new laws have sought to improve healthcare provision, implementation gaps remain.
The project will utilise the findings and recommendations from a 2023 research report by project partners, ICJ-Kenya, on the legal and policy frameworks that inhibit access to healthcare in its efforts to advocate for policy and legislative changes to improve health services for all.
ICJ-Kenya will equip civil society organisations (CSOs) with the tools and knowledge to advocate for health equity. Through capacity-building, advocacy, and public engagement, it seeks to strengthen healthcare governance by enhancing accountability and reducing disparities in Kenya’s healthcare system.
This will be achieved by:
- Training 180 CSO representatives in six counties to better engage with policies on the right to health and participate in health governance.
- Establishing an advocacy platform for meaningful policy dialogue between CSOs and stakeholders through webinars and roundtable meetings.
- Conducting public awareness campaigns via radio, town hall meetings, and social media to inform communities on their right to health and responsibilities in healthcare governance.
- Developing advocacy and communication strategies to highlight key policy gaps and propose reforms.
As a result of the project, it is hoped that public awareness of healthcare rights will be improved, fostering greater participation in healthcare governance processes. By driving policy reforms and improving accountability, the project will contribute to reducing health disparities and creating a more equitable healthcare system in Kenya.
Project Partners
ICJ-Kenya's mission is to promote human rights, democratic governance, justice, and the rule of law in Africa. The overall aim is to promote the rule of law, champion democratic governance, advance justice, and safeguard human rights, thereby enabling people to live in dignity and harmoniously coexist with each other. ICJ-Kenya employs a combination of approaches to deliver its strategies, including advocacy, public interest litigation, capacity development / system strengthening, research and partnerships development.
We support people's participation in democracy and development by providing grants, platforms, and expertise.
