Role of Kenya’s Foreign Policy in Addressing National Health Security

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 accelerated the rising profile of national health security, given its indiscriminate devastation of economies and livelihoods. Health has thus become an issue of strategic importance in global discourse. The study sought to explore the mechanisms that are in place for cooperation between the two sectoral dockets of foreign affairs and health in Kenya in the implementation of foreign policy towards achieving health security objectives. It adopted a desktop review of secondary data, which was subsequently analyzed thematically. The study found that health interests are contemplated within the broader framework of cooperation with other states and organizations. However, the absence of a “health diplomacy” pillar in Kenya’s foreign policy exposes an existing gap in operational clarity among the foreign policy practitioners. This notwithstanding, existing cooperation has brought about tangible health benefits, including the campaign and efforts to rollback major diseases, while bilateral frameworks have provided for investments in the sector, exchange of personnel and expertise, and transfer of technology. The foreign affairs and health ministries have a significant level of interaction towards delivering the national health security agenda, albeit in silo-like manner. As the prominence of health as an issue of strategic importance ascends, a case is being made for the addition of “health diplomacy” pillar, into the Foreign Policy to alleviate the identified gap.