President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed into law the Health Laws (Amendment) Bill of 2018 and the Assumption of the Office of County Governor Bill.
The new health law amends the Pharmacy and Poisons Act, the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act, the Nurses Act, and the Kenya Medical Training College Act. Other legislation amended through the Health Laws (Amendment) Act includes the Nutritionists and Dieticians Act, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority Act, the Counsellors and Psychologists Act, the Physiotherapists Act, the Health Records and Information Managers Act and the Clinical Officers (Training, Registration and Licensing) Act.
The brief signing ceremony at State House Nairobi was attended by Speaker of the Senate Ken Lusaka, Majority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale and his Senate counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen, Solicitor General Ken Ogeto and the Head of Public Service Dr Joseph Kinyua.
What the health law changes
By updating a cluster of health-sector statutes in a single sweep, the amendments are intended to align the training, registration and licensing of health professionals with modern practice. Kenya's health laws had grown piecemeal over decades, and stakeholders had argued that overlaps and outdated provisions hampered regulation of professionals ranging from clinical officers to counsellors and nutritionists.
The amendments also touch on the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority, the agency responsible for procuring and distributing medical commodities to public facilities — a function whose efficiency directly affects the availability of medicines in hospitals across the country.
Smooth transitions in county governments
The Assumption of the Office of County Governor Bill addresses a gap that had become visible in the early years of devolution: what happens when a governor-elect takes office, or when a governor dies or is removed. The law provides a clear legal framework for the swearing-in, assumption of functions and orderly transition of power in county governments, reducing the disputes that previously accompanied such moments.
A busy legislative period
The signing capped a period of intensive lawmaking during the President's second term, with health sector reforms — including the drive toward universal health coverage — at the centre of the administration's agenda.
