Kenya has made significant strides in health workforce production over the past decade, doubling the number of nurses, doctors, and other health professionals. However, the Health Labour Market Analysis highlights persistent and emerging gaps, projecting that more than 114,000 additional health professionals across 31 roles will be needed by 2031 to meet population health demands.
To address these challenges, WHO Kenya has partnered with the Novo Nordisk Foundation through the Partnership for Education of Health Professionals flagship programme. The collaboration aims to strengthen the capacity, quality, and relevance of Kenya’s health workforce in line with evolving population health needs and the country’s Universal Health Coverage agenda. Over the past five years, WHO has supported the Ministry of Health in translating evidence into policy, strategic reforms, and targeted investments, including the development of competency-based curricula for 10 key health cadres, such as critical care nursing, general surgery, and community health workers.
The partnership focuses on competency-based education to ensure health workers are equipped to prevent and manage priority conditions, including chronic diseases, and deliver quality care at all levels. Key areas of support include curriculum reform, alignment of training outputs with service delivery needs, governance strengthening, research and knowledge translation, and sustainable financing for the health workforce. Students and practitioners have emphasized that competency-based training ensures practical readiness, bridging the gap between education and real-world health challenges.
By building a skilled, responsive, and labour-market-ready health workforce, the initiative seeks to accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage, enhance the quality of care, and strengthen the resilience of Kenya’s health system for the future.
