A doctor./PHOTO; Courtesy
Warren Buffett’s charitable foundation has pledged Sh3.8 billion ($29.2 million) to Kenya’s health sector for the 2026/2027 financial year, according to National Treasury budget estimates.
This marks the second year in a row that the foundation is making a similar level of commitment to the country’s health programmes.
The funding is being channelled through the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation to the State Department of Medical Services, where it is expected to support ongoing health work, including reproductive health services such as access to contraception and maternal healthcare.
The renewed support comes in the wake of earlier disruptions to donor-funded health programmes in Kenya following cuts to major US global health contracts under the Trump administration.
Those cuts left gaps in funding and affected a wide range of health initiatives.
The initial support from the Buffett Foundation was introduced at that time as emergency relief, but has since developed into a more sustained flow of funding into the sector.
The foundation, named after Buffett’s first wife and now managed by his children, focuses largely on reproductive health and related social programmes in different parts of the world.
Warren Buffett himself, now 95, has donated most of his wealth to the foundation as part of his long-standing pledge to give away the bulk of his fortune.
In Kenya’s latest budget, the Buffett-linked grant is listed as the third-largest external source of health financing, behind the World Bank and the Global Fund.
Other contributors include the European Development Fund, the Green Climate Fund, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Altogether, external health grants are estimated at Sh24.47 billion.
The Sh3.8 billion allocation represents a significant share of the medical services project budget, highlighting how private philanthropy is playing an increasingly visible role in supporting Kenya’s health system at a time when public funding remains under pressure and donor flows continue to shift.
Help us tell more untold stories of African Philanthropy!
To DONATE or Pledge: CLICK HERE
