Financing cervical cancer elimination interventions in Kenya: A Fiscal Space Analysis

This report, “Financing cervical cancer elimination interventions in Kenya: A Fiscal Space Analysis,” published in February 2026 by Health Systems Insight (formerly ThinkWell Institute) with support from the Gates Foundation, examines the feasibility of increasing fiscal space to finance cervical cancer elimination in Kenya. The analysis supports implementation of Kenya’s National Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan (NCCEAP) 2025–2030, which aims to scale up HPV vaccination, screening, and treatment services nationwide. Using established fiscal space analysis frameworks from the World Health Organization and the World Bank, the study evaluates Kenya’s health financing landscape and identifies opportunities to mobilize sustainable domestic resources through improved operational efficiency, reprioritization within the health sector, and expansion of overall fiscal space for health. 

Key findings 

• Implementing Kenya’s National Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan requires approximately KES 6.83 billion annually to support HPV vaccination, screening, treatment, and health system strengthening.
• Cervical cancer prevention and control in Kenya has historically relied heavily on external funding, including support from Gavi, PEPFAR, the Global Fund, and Unitaid, creating sustainability risks as donor funding declines.
• Weaknesses in supply chains, forecasting, and procurement contribute to frequent stock-outs of essential commodities such as HPV test kits and treatment equipment.
• Health budgets are skewed toward referral hospitals and curative care, while preventive interventions—including HPV vaccination and screening—receive comparatively limited resources.
• Counties allocate 83% of health budgets to recurrent expenditures, with 77% spent on personnel, leaving limited resources for equipment and preventive programs.
• Health expenditure in Kenya remains below 5% of total government expenditure, well below the Abuja target of 15%, limiting fiscal space for priority programs including cervical cancer elimination.
• Opportunities to expand fiscal space include improving operational efficiency, reprioritizing health sector spending, increasing domestic revenue (e.g., health taxes), and strengthening county revenue generation mechanisms.

Thumbnail image credit: Health Systems Insight