Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has extended Kenya's transition period for co-financing from five to eight years, giving the country more fiscal space to strengthen its health systems as it works towards long-term sustainability of its immunisation efforts.
The extension of the financing to 2032 was announced following a meeting between Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, and a Gavi delegation led by Country Director Thabani Maphosa.
The extension aims to give Kenya the time it needs to gradually assume greater financial responsibility for its immunisation programmes.
"This move will allow Kenya to focus on strengthening its health infrastructure, improving vaccine distribution and increasing coverage across the country," said CS Duale.
Since 2008, all countries applying to Gavi for new vaccine support have been required to co-finance part of the cost. The co-financing requirements for individual countries depend on their transition phase and vaccination strategy, as set out in the Eligibility and Transition Policy. Some vaccines, such as IPV and malaria, have specific rules.
Mr Thabani Maphosa, managing director for country programmes at GAVI.
Photo credit: Picture: Courtesy
Kenya is currently in a five-year transition phase and was originally expected to fully fund its immunisation programme by around 2029. With the three-year extension, Kenya now has until around 2032 to assume full financial responsibility.
However, Kenya faces challenges in meeting its current co-financing obligation. For the fiscal year 2024 to 2025, the country is required to contribute about Sh1.6 billion for vaccine procurement. So far, this amount has not been paid, with the 30 June deadline approaching, raising concerns about potential vaccine stockouts and disruptions to immunisation services.
Gavi had warned that failure to meet co-financing commitments could have serious consequences, including suspension of vaccine support and delays in vaccine delivery.
CS Duale has proposed the establishment of a dedicated programme coordination unit within the Ministry of Health to strengthen coordination with Gavi and improve the implementation of immunisation programmes.
He also proposed a framework that would extend Kenya's full transition timeline to 2035, providing more time to achieve sustainable financing without compromising vaccine coverage or equity.
He further recommended that Kenya consider returning to the "Preparatory Transition Phase", which allows for a more gradual and flexible increase in domestic vaccine funding
When a country enters the Preparatory Transition Phase, the government contribution increases by 15 percent per year. In this phase, the co-financing requirement is a percentage of vaccine prices, so the absolute amount will vary from vaccine to vaccine.
