By Caleb Kamau
NAIROBI, Kenya – July 24, 2025
What happens when the aid lifeline that has long propped up Africa’s health systems begins to dry up?
That was the central question tackled by the Kenya Editors’ Guild (KEG) during a thought-provoking session held on July 4, bringing together policy experts, health advocates, and media executives. But the mood was anything but business-as-usual.
The session, part of KEG’s new Thought Leadership Series, confronted a pressing yet often whispered reality: Official Development Assistance (ODA) is shrinking. And it’s not just about budget lines and spreadsheets. It’s about vaccines delayed, mothers left unattended, children unprotected, and diseases making a comeback.
“The reduction in ODA is not just a budget adjustment,” warned Dr. Willis Akhwale, Special Advisor at Kenya’s End Malaria Council, in his keynote address delivered at a Nairobi hotel.
Dr. Akhwale didn’t mince words. He offered a sobering walk-through of decades lost to missed opportunities. Since the early 2000s, Africa has received generous donor funding, often paired with vague promises of sustainability quietly tucked into footnotes.
“We were told to ‘stretch the dollar.’ And every year, we recycled the same proposals, copied the same paragraphs, and said we’d speak to our governments. But we didn’t,” he admitted.
The consequences are already unfolding. With the U.S., UK, and other traditional donors scaling back or redirecting funds, Kenya’s health sector is gasping for air. According to the OECD, ODA to Sub-Saharan Africa declined by 7.8% in 2023. Global priorities—think Ukraine, climate disasters, and inflation—have taken center stage, and the writing is on the wall.
From HIV and TB to malaria and maternal care, over 50% of Kenya’s key health programmes depend on donor support. The Global Fund has warned that without increased domestic financing, up to 200,000 preventable deaths could occur annually in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
“Donor funds bought nets and vaccines, yes,” said Dr. Akhwale. “But they rarely paid for the people—nurses, lab techs, supply chains—who make these systems work.”
His message was clear: the age of handouts must end. What’s needed now is partnership and ownership.
Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO of Amref Health Africa, echoed this urgency. His challenge to the Kenyan government was blunt: start budgeting for HIV, TB, and reproductive health like your life depends on it—because it does.
“The public health system is the spine of the nation,” he said. “If public hospitals fail, everyone suffers—rich or poor.”
Adding a policy perspective, Dr. Rose Oronje of AFIDEP called for stronger local investment and innovation, especially in knowledge translation and evidence-informed decision-making.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mercy Korir, CEO of Willow Health Media, emphasized the importance of storytelling in driving sustainability.
“We must change how we frame these narratives. Donor fatigue is real—but so is the power of African solutions. Journalists must go beyond statistics. Show the human face,” she urged.
The call to action landed squarely on the shoulders of editors and reporters in the room.
Rosalia Omungo, CEO of KEG, reminded the press of their watchdog role: to unpack complex aid flows, expose policy gaps, and, most critically, inform the public.
“When aid disappears, someone pays for it with their health,” she said. “Our stories must reflect that reality.”
The forum featured engaging panels, sharp questions, and plenty of note-taking. Voices like Dr. MaqC Eric Gitau, Dr. Wilfred Nkhoma of WHO, and others added depth to the conversation—touching on everything from shifting development dynamics to the role of global philanthropy.
If one message rang loud and clear, it was this: Africa must stop waiting for rescue and start building resilience.
That means:
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African governments treating health as a domestic budget priority, not a donor problem.
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Private sector actors stepping in with scalable, sustainable solutions, not just CSR checkboxes.
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Philanthropy becoming smarter, more transparent, and aligned with local needs.
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And journalists reframing the narrative—from “we need help” to “we are building our future.”
As one panelist aptly put it,
“ODA should be a bridge, not a home.”
For Kenya—and the continent—the time to move is now. Before another dollar vanishes. Before another child misses a vaccine. Before the headlines scream:
“We could have prevented this.”
The call has been made. The baton now rests with those who hold the pen, manage the purse, and shape the policy.
