NAIROBI, KENYA – Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 7:30 AM EAT – The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to eliminate 2,371 jobs by June 2026, a reduction of nearly a quarter of its global workforce, following the official withdrawal of the United States from the agency in January 2025. The move has sent shockwaves through the global health community, with immediate and severe implications feared for nations like Kenya that rely on the UN agency's technical and financial support.

The drastic cuts were confirmed in a presentation to member states in Geneva and in a message to staff from Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who described the restructuring as a "painful but necessary process." The United States was the single largest contributor to the WHO, providing approximately 15-18% of its total budget. The departure leaves a significant financial void that other member states and donors are unlikely to fill completely.

Impact on Kenya's Public Health Landscape

The WHO's presence in Kenya is not merely administrative; it is deeply integrated into the nation's health infrastructure. Through its Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) for 2024–2030, the WHO collaborates directly with the Ministry of Health to advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC), tackle diseases, and respond to health emergencies. The impending job cuts and funding gap threaten to undermine decades of progress in several key areas.

According to Kenya's Director-General of Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, the withdrawal jeopardises numerous critical health initiatives. Speaking in January 2025, Dr. Amoth confirmed that Kenya was exploring strategies to mitigate the impact, including strengthening regional partnerships and increasing domestic health financing. Key programmes now facing uncertainty include:

• Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Response: WHO provides essential technical support for Kenya's Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system, which is crucial for detecting and containing outbreaks like cholera and measles. A reduction in expert staff could weaken the country's ability to respond to future epidemics.
• Immunization Programmes: The agency has been a key partner in routine immunisations and the rollout of new vaccines, such as the world's first malaria vaccine (RTS,S/AS01), which was introduced in parts of Western Kenya. In 2023 alone, WHO support helped extend the malaria vaccine program to protect an additional 11,000 children monthly and administer polio vaccines to 3 million children in high-risk counties.
• HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: While much of the funding for HIV in Kenya comes directly from US initiatives like PEPFAR, the WHO provides critical policy guidance, technical support, and coordination. The US withdrawal from the WHO compounds the financial threat to programmes tackling HIV, TB, and malaria, which have been heavily reliant on American foreign aid.
• Maternal and Child Health: The WHO develops and helps implement global standards and guidelines that have been instrumental in reducing maternal and infant mortality in Kenya. Fewer technical experts could slow the adoption of life-saving best practices.

Regional Health Security at Risk

The impact extends beyond Kenya's borders, threatening the entire East African region's health security architecture. The WHO's Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), based in Brazzaville, Congo, coordinates cross-border health initiatives and supports regional bodies. A diminished WHO places a greater burden on the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), an institution that works in close partnership with the WHO to manage regional health emergencies. This collaboration is vital for tackling the more than 100 disease outbreaks Africa confronts annually.

In response to previous funding threats, the Ministry of Health has emphasised the need to increase local resources for health to ensure sustainability. In February 2025, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa announced the Ministry was seeking Sh33.5 billion in emergency funding from the National Treasury to bridge the gap left by a broader freeze in US foreign aid. The WHO cuts will add further strain to the national budget.

As the WHO begins this significant downsizing, health officials in Kenya and across the continent will be forced to make difficult decisions about which programs to prioritize. The full effect of these 2,371 job losses will become clearer in the coming months, but the immediate challenge is how to protect the health of millions of Kenyans with fewer resources and diminished global support. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.