Nairobi: The government is stepping up efforts to integrate evidence-based traditional and complementary medicine into Kenya’s healthcare system, with increased research, regulation, and documentation of indigenous knowledge expected to play a central role. Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale affirmed that the government was committed to integrating evidence-based traditional medicine into the country’s healthcare system by 2028 as part of efforts to improve access to quality healthcare and achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
According to Kenya News Agency, Duale disclosed that the Ministry of Health was finalising the National Traditional and Complementary Medicine Policy, which will guide the education, registration, licensing, and regulation of practitioners while promoting the quality, safety, and efficacy of traditional medicine. The CS made these remarks at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) during celebrations to mark African Traditional Medicine Day, held under the theme ‘Strengthening African Traditional Medicine through Research, Regulation, and Integration for Universal Health Coverage’.
State Department for Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga underscored KEMRI’s critical role in generating scientific evidence on the effectiveness and risks associated with traditional and alternative medicines. Speaking at the event, he announced that the policy had undergone wider stakeholder validation in April 2026 and would proceed to nationwide public participation before being presented to Cabinet for approval.
Duale noted that traditional medicine remained deeply rooted in African communities, cultures, indigenous knowledge, and biodiversity, adding that it continued to be widely used because it was accessible, affordable, and culturally acceptable. Traditional medicine is not merely a record of the past, but a living health resource with the potential to contribute to prevention, treatment, innovation, and national development, he stated.
He stressed that traditional health interventions offered to Kenyans must be safe, effective, and supported by scientific evidence. Additionally, Duale insisted that research on traditional medicine should move beyond documentation to product development, clinical evidence, quality assurance, pharmacovigilance, and responsible commercialisation. He further called for the protection of intellectual property rights and fair sharing of benefits with communities and individuals who have preserved indigenous knowledge over generations.
Duale maintained that regulation would remain critical in protecting patients, calling for clear standards on practitioner training, registration and licensing, quality standards for products, reliable laboratories, and effective surveillance of adverse events. He cited India and China as countries from which Kenya could draw lessons in developing and integrating traditional medicine into the formal healthcare system.
Duale clarified that integration would not create a parallel healthcare system but rather provide a structured pathway through which validated traditional and complementary medicine could complement modern healthcare. He added that traditional medicine presented an important economic and strategic opportunity for Kenya through the utilisation of biodiversity, scientific talent, and indigenous knowledge to develop quality-assured products, promote local manufacturing, and create skilled employment.
Duale urged stronger partnerships between traditional health practitioners, universities, regulators, research institutions, and industry to accelerate innovation and position Kenya as a centre of excellence in African traditional medicine research, product development, and knowledge exchange. Meanwhile, Dr. Oluga noted that although traditional and alternative medicines were widely used in communities, there was a need for stronger clinical research to establish their efficacy and potential risks.
Dr. Oluga welcomed the CS’s direction on policy and regulation, noting that the involvement of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board would help strengthen oversight of traditional and alternative medicines. He reiterated the importance of responsible use of traditional and alternative medicines, stressing that scientific evidence should help determine their effectiveness and guide patients and practitioners on their safe use.
Duale also highlighted the government’s digitisation of healthcare, saying the reforms were strengthening access, accountability, and patient safety. The CS urged Kenyans to download the Afya Yangu application, which enables citizens to access information on health facilities and doctors, register with an insurer, make payments, and manage dependents.
He pointed out that the Ministry was also using the Practice 360 platform to enable verification of doctors’ licences and regulatory status, while efforts were underway to digitally trace medicines from patients back to manufacturers in cases of adverse reactions. In the meantime, Duale said 67 percent of Kenyans had been registered in the UHC system within 18 months, with some counties surpassing 85 percent registration.
Duale also announced that KEMRI had agreed to allow the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services to use its incinerator for disposal of waste generated from blood donation activities. He lauded KEMRI for its contribution to medical research and said the Government was committed to transforming the institution into one of the country’s leading research and graduate training centres. Duale highlighted that the Government’s approach to traditional medicine would be to ‘preserve what is valuable, test what requires evidence, regulate what requires oversight, innovate where there is an opportunity, and integrate where value has been demonstrated’.
Ultimately, he reaffirmed that the approach would enable Kenya to preserve its cultural heritage while creating a safer, healthier, and more self-reliant healthcare system.
