The 2025 County Leadership Emergency Care Conference, held in Nairobi from 6 to 7 November, brought together leaders from more than 30 counties under the theme “State of Emergency Care in Kenya.” Now in its third year, the conference continues to serve as a critical platform for county healthcare leadership to review progress, share lessons, and collectively shape the future of an equitable and responsive emergency healthcare system across Kenya that saves lives.
Over two days, county delegations delivered their presentations and engaged in panel discussions centred on governance, financing, infrastructure, prehospital care, data systems, public–private partnerships, and human resources for emergency medical care. These discussions were enriched by reflections on EMKF’s decade-long partnership with county governments, delivered through its four pillars of impact: Capacity Building, Knowledge Development, Advocacy, and Research.
A Decade of Progress, A Future of Possibility
The conference reaffirmed that while Kenya has made significant strides in establishing the foundations of a functional emergency healthcare system, the decade ahead will require intensified action, stronger coordination, and sustained investment. County leaders highlighted several priority areas essential for system-wide transformation, including:
- Universal adoption of county-level Emergency Medical Care Policies to anchor emergency care within county legislation, while integrating the WHO Emergency Care System Framework to ensure alignment with global best practice.
- Dedicated and predictable budget allocations for emergency medical care to ensure sustainable financing.
- Strengthening of prehospital care, including modernising ambulance fleets and establishing coordinated dispatch systems.
- Standardised emergency care data collection and outcome monitoring to guide planning and measure impact.
Counties committed to accelerating progress by prioritising:
- Ensuring all ambulances meet national standards
- Establishing county ambulance access numbers to improve public access to emergency medical care services.
- Implementing public ambulance dispatch centres
- Training Community Health Promoters in basic emergency care to strengthen first-response capacity at the community level.
- Enhancing maternal and newborn emergency response systems, recognising their disproportionate contribution to preventable mortality.
EMKF reaffirmed its commitment to continue its partnership with the county and national governments to support their efforts to strengthen emergency healthcare services in Kenya to save lives.
