Kenya is facing a looming public health crisis due to severe underfunding of the country’s health research and innovation sector, the Coalition for Health Research and Development (CHReaD) has warned. In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday, CHReaD decried what it termed a “dangerous deficit” in government support for critical health research institutions, calling for immediate emergency funding to safeguard the nation’s health security.
Despite an increase in the overall health budget from KSh 127 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to KSh 138.1 billion in 2025/26, allocations for health research have significantly declined.
The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), one of the country’s foremost health research bodies, saw its development budget slashed from KSh 537 million last year to just KSh 40 million this year — a 93 percent cut. Its recurrent allocation remains at KSh 2.7 billion, barely enough to sustain ongoing operations.
Even more alarming, the National Research Fund (NRF), which is mandated to support scientific research and innovation across the country received no allocation at all in the current budget, down from KSh 218.7 million last year.
“This level of disinvestment threatens to cripple the country’s ability to diagnose, treat, and respond to health emergencies. We are staring at stalled clinical trials, weakened disease surveillance, and a devastating brain drain as top researchers seek opportunities abroad,” CHReaD said.
The crisis has been further exacerbated by the withdrawal of key international donors, including USAID, which has led to a funding shortfall of more than $220 million in the sector.
Kenya’s past investments in health research have proven economically beneficial. According to CHReaD, every shilling invested in health R&D yields KSh 2.40 in short-term economic returns and up to KSh 4.72 in long-term benefits. Failure to invest now, the coalition warns, not only jeopardizes Kenya’s pandemic preparedness but also forfeits these gains.
In response, CHReaD is calling for urgent interventions, including Emergency Budget Amendment. Parliament should revise the current budget to allocate new funding for KEMRI and the NRF to sustain clinical trials, operational research, and innovation grants.
CHReaD backs KEMRI’s proposal to allocate 0.1 percent of monthly SHA collections directly to research institutions to reduce donor dependency and secure sustainable financing.
CHReaD urge government to prioritize procurement of locally developed health technologies and review the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Act, 2013 to empower institutions like KEMRI and NRF to commercialize research outcomes and generate revenue.
“The choice is clear: invest in health research development and innovation today or bear the devastating cost of neglect tomorrow,” CHReaD warned, urging Parliament and the Treasury to act with urgency.