KEMRI Hosts Inaugural Willow Lifeline Dialogue Town Hall on Social Health Authority Rollout.

The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) hosted the inaugural Willow Lifeline Dialogue Town Hall at the headquarters in Nairobi on 15th April 2025. The landmark engagement, that was organized in partnership with Willow Health Media, focused on the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA) under the theme ‘Rethinking Healthcare for the 55 Million Kenyans.’

The event brought together key stakeholders in the healthcare sector to deliberate on Kenya’s journey toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and the critical role SHA will play in achieving equitable, accessible, and affordable healthcare for all citizens.

The Town Hall featured high-level discussions led by speakers including SHA Chairman Dr. Abdi Mohammed, Chair of the Kenya Healthcare Federation Dr. Kanyenje Gakombe, constitutional law expert Dr. Mutakha Kangu, KEMRI’s Dr. Anita Musiega and the CEO of Willow Health Media Dr. Mercy Korir, who also served as the moderator of the forum.

Dr. Martin Bundi who represented the Director General, welcomed participants to the forum, emphasizing the Institute’s longstanding commitment to strengthening health systems through research, innovation, and policy support. KEMRI is the first institution to host this arranged national dialogue series, that are geared towards shaping Kenya’s healthcare transformation agenda.

The significance of the partnership with Willow Health Media was underscored by KEMRI’s earlier collaboration in February and March 2025, where 14 health journalists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Cameroon were trained under the KEMRI Graduate School Health Journalism course. This capacity-building initiative, aimed at promoting accurate and impactful health communication, laid the groundwork for the Willow Lifeline Dialogue series and underscored the critical role of the media in the SHA rollout.

In his speech Dr. Bundi emphasized the Institute’s commitment in supporting the government in achieving its UHC agenda. “Through research and policy support, KEMRI continues to be a central pillar in the implementation of UHC, a notable example is the Institute’s landmark study across 12 counties that revealed gaps in community health delivery. The findings informed critical policy reforms such as the introduction of monthly stipends and medical kits for Community Health Promoters (CHPs), boosting their role as primary healthcare providers,” he said further noting that, KEMRI’s research on community-based savings initiatives led to the inclusion of local “chamas” in the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), enabling more households to access healthcare through sustainable community financing models.

On his part, Dr. Mohamed emphasized the need for each citizen to register for SHA in and pay the monthly premiums to enjoy the benefits of the insurance. He further stated, “No country has a perfect UHC model, and we cannot keep comparing ourselves to others what works for them may not work for us. Kenya has chosen a mixed model that fits our context.”

Beyond policy, KEMRI provides diagnostic support and clinical services across its sites, contributing directly to health outcomes in areas such as sickle cell disease, neurology, and pediatric care. These efforts reflect KEMRI’s integrated approach research to drive solutions that impact healthcare delivery on the ground.

The Town Hall also served as a forum to advocate for inclusive health strategies that consider intersecting vulnerabilities such as gender, disability, and socioeconomic disparities. In line with SHA’s mission, the engagement emphasized the importance of health promotion and preventive care as tools for empowering communities and reducing the strain on health systems.

In her remarks, Dr. Musiega reinforced the Institute’s commitment to ensuring that research translates into action. Her remarks highlighted the importance of community-centered approaches and the role of continuous stakeholder engagement in achieving health equity. She noted that there is no perfect UHC, system, no country, whether high-, middle-, or low- income, has fully achieved it. “We’re not alone; everyone is still figuring it out. That said, there’s a lot we can learn from others. But we must recognize the unique context and textures of our own system—not everything that works elsewhere will work here,” she added.

KEMRI’s contribution to the SHA rollout is rooted in evidence, equity, and innovation. The Institute achieves this by providing data, insights, and policy guidance needed to shape healthcare delivery, in the country.

As the country takes bold steps toward actualizing the SHA framework, KEMRI remains committed to its mission of improving human health through research, capacity building, and innovation. The Institute looks forward to continued collaboration with partners to strengthen health systems to ensure no one is left behind.