In August 2026, the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Health, and the Beginnings Fund signed a five-year cooperative agreement to expand access to quality maternal and newborn care. Backed by USD 80 million in catalytic funding, the partnership will strengthen services across 21 priority counties and approximately 200 high-volume health facilities where Kenya bears the greatest burden of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Behind every financing commitment and every strengthened facility, however, are the people who plan, budget, staff, and lead. That is where the Strathmore Business School (SBS) Prism Centre is proud to contribute. Working alongside the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the Kenya Health Human Resource Advisory Council (KHHRAC), the Prism Centre will design and deliver a structured programme to build the leadership and management capacity of senior managers at both county and national levels.

What The Programme Covers

The training focuses on the following disciplines for resource management:

• Health economics and financing: including blended financing and prioritising health investments according to each county’s specific disease burden, so that limited resources reach the areas of greatest need.
• Human resources for health: ensuring the right skills mix and the deployment of appropriate healthcare workers to the appropriate facilities, with the Workload Indicators of Staffing Needs (WISN) methodology integrated into health workforce planning.
• Health communication and promotion: strengthening how counties engage communities and encourage the uptake of quality care.
• Contract management and public–private collaboration: equipping managers to structure contracts and oversee partnerships that improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.

The programme also prepares counties to attract and manage resources from a range of sources, and to steward all healthcare resources for the benefit of every member of the community.

From the Classroom to the County

Each cohort will receive on-site mentorship and coaching, ensuring senior managers apply what they learn directly in their day-to-day work. This blended model of classroom learning, reinforced by hands-on support in the county, is designed to convert knowledge into practice and practice into measurable improvements in care.

For the Prism Centre, this work reflects our core conviction: that strong health systems depend on strong leadership and sound management. By investing in the people who lead Kenya’s county health systems, the programme contributes directly to the shared goal of Universal Health Coverage, ensuring that every mother and every newborn, everywhere (in every county), can access safe, quality care.