Public Health Union Warns Of Looming National Health Crisis, Blames Government Neglect

By Virginia Siebella 

The Kenya Environmental Health and Public Practitioners Union has raised alarm over what it describes as a mounting health crisis driven by chronic underinvestment in preventive healthcare.

Speaking at Machakos Level 5 Referral Hospital during the signing of a recognition agreement with the county government, Secretary General Brown Ashira accused both national and county governments of prioritising curative services at the expense of preventive interventions that could stop diseases before they strike.

Ashira said the government continues to pour billions into treatment while overlooking essential public health safeguards — a trend he warned is “projecting illness instead of preventing it” and steadily eroding public trust in the country’s health system.

He noted that preventable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis and malaria continue to rise due to the neglect of public health systems, including disease surveillance, environmental health controls, and community-level interventions.

During the event, Machakos witnessed a major milestone as the county government formally recognised a new union for Public Health Officers, paving the way for structured representation of its members. Ashira also announced that Machakos will soon establish a food and water quality laboratory at the referral facility, eliminating the need to transport samples to Nairobi for chemical analysis.

Machakos County Public Service Board Chairperson Albanus Mutisya, who represented the governor, confirmed that the new union had fulfilled all legal requirements and would now be allowed to represent public health officers at every level of county governance.

Ashira called for an urgent policy shift, warning that unless Kenya invests heavily in preventive health, the nation risks deeper health challenges and a decline in overall public well-being.