Kenya has called for more investment in health workers across Africa, saying many countries are still struggling with staff shortages even as thousands of trained professionals remain without jobs.
Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni made the call during the 76th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, where she presented Kenya’s position on the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035.
Muthoni said Kenya had supported more than 24,000 healthcare interns over the past two financial years as part of efforts to give young professionals work experience while helping to fill gaps in the health sector.
She added that the country is striving to train more health workers and increase accessibility to healthcare, especially in those areas that still suffer from shortages.
According to the statistics provided, Kenya has employed more than 107,000 Community Health Promoters in all over the country as its efforts to ensure adequate healthcare services in the community.
The PS noted that the problems in the healthcare sector in Africa can hardly be addressed through the training of more specialists.
She underlined the need for investment in the creation of jobs, development of skills and proper distribution of health workers across the continent.
Moreover, Muthoni underlined the importance of retaining health workers in areas that need them the most.
Such statements were made in the context of discussing how to solve the problem of a lack of health workers in some communities on the African continent.
There is an evident shortage of doctors, nurses and other specialists in the healthcare sector.
At the same time, there is also a problem of unemployment of trained specialists who have nowhere to work.
Kenya’s position is that countries need to invest in both the training and employment of health workers so that the continent can make better use of the professionals it already has.
The discussions at the WHO meeting are expected to shape the Africa Health Workforce Agenda for the 2026–2035 period.
