The Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi buzzed with purpose yesterday as health officials, hospital executives, insurers, digital health innovators, healthcare students and public health advocates met for the first day of the 2026 Nation Health Summit.
Exhibition booths showcased everything from AI-enabled diagnostic equipment to localised pharmaceutical manufacturing solutions, a vivid demonstration of the sector's growing ambition.
Opening the summit, Nation Media Group's Head of Broadcasting Simaloi Dajom set a deliberately human tone. "Everyone has been a patient at a particular time," she told delegates. "We are all either infected or affected."
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muriuki (right), engages with Nation Media Group (NMG) Group Managing Director and CEO Geoffrey Odundo (second right), Chief Commercial Officer James Sogoti (second left), and Head of Broadcasting Simaloi Dajom (left) during the Nation Health Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on May 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
She pointed to a sobering reality that half of deaths in Kenya are preventable, making this a conversation not just for health professionals but for every Kenyan.
Group CEO and MD Geoffrey Odundo reinforced that urgency, noting no country can sustain economic growth when a majority of its population cannot access affordable healthcare, affirming NMG's commitment to keeping these conversations open.
Health PS Mary Muthoni brought the full weight of policy to the podium. She outlined a raft of government milestones, including 8.8 million of Kenya's 12 million households already visited by community health promoters, and over 10,000 health facilities enlisted onto a digital infrastructure. Social Health Authority, she said, is designed to ensure illness never aggravates poverty.
“Quality healthcare is not a luxury reserved for a select few,” said Muthoni. “It is an undeniable right for all citizens.” She was equally blunt about a persistent national vulnerability. Although Kenya had the money during the Covid-19, it could not buy medicine. This, she insisted, made local pharmaceutical manufacturing no longer optional.
Jonathan Manga'te from Sunview Medipro International Limited (left) engages with visitors at their exhibition stand during the Nation Health Summit at KICC in Nairobi on May 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Panel discussions sharpened the debate on three fronts. The governance panel stressed the need for prepayment mechanisms to replace catastrophic out-of-pocket spending, and renewed calls for Kenya to honour the Abuja Declaration's benchmark of allocating at least 15 percent of the national budget to health.
The technology panel revealed both the promise and the gaps of digital health, with panellists cautioning that Africa's challenge is not a shortage of data.
The patient safety panel closed the day's formal discussions with a call to embed quality care as a culture rather than a compliance checkbox. Dr. Sara Agak of Nairobi Hospice drew attention to the 800,000 Kenyans estimated to need palliative care annually, with most going unserved due to late referrals, inconsistent medicine availability, and weak community follow-up.
Participants follow proceedings during the Nation Health Summit event held at KICC in Nairobi on May 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Day two continues today, Friday, with specialist panels exploring how financing models can be aligned with evolving disease burdens to ensure equitable, efficient, and high-quality healthcare delivery, and East Africa's health financing future. Attendees will engage with a team discussing the Social Health Authority (SHA).
