Climate shocks strain Kenya's health systems as stakeholders push for resilience and reform

Bayer CEO and Cluster division Pharma Sub- Saharan Africa head, Jorge Levin during a press conference. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Kenya’s health system is increasingly grappling with the ripple effects of climate change, from disrupted service delivery during floods and droughts to rising risks for vulnerable groups, especially women and outdoor workers.

Health experts warn that extreme weather events are no longer distant threats but present-day disruptors of essential care, including antenatal services, family planning, and chronic disease management.

Concerns are growing over whether health infrastructure and supply chains are sufficiently resilient to withstand repeated shocks as climate variability intensifies.

Pharmaceutical and life sciences stakeholders are now pushing for integrated climate-health responses, arguing that adaptation within health systems must move faster than current progress.

Speaking in Nairobi, Jorge Levinson, Country Division Head for Pharmaceutical Sub-Saharan Africa at Bayer, said the company continues to invest across key health areas, including ophthalmology, cardiology, women’s health, and family planning, while calling for stronger safeguards in Kenya’s pharmaceutical supply chain.

He warned that counterfeit medicines and parallel trade remain a significant risk to both patients and investors, stressing the need for stronger enforcement to protect quality and trust in healthcare systems.

“We need to make sure that from the anti-counterfeit and intellectual property, there is a very clear action so that when you invest in the country, you will not get parallel trade,” Levinson said.

Beyond investment and regulation, the discussions also focused heavily on how climate change is reshaping healthcare delivery.

Dr Jack Kileba, Medical Operations Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa at Bayer, outlined what he described as three key pillars guiding the company’s climate-health approach: advancing science, strengthening health system resilience, and community education.

He said resilience is now central, noting that climate events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves are already disrupting care continuity.

“We must ensure that even during floods or when people migrate, women can continue getting antenatal care and family planning services,” he said.

Dr Kileba explained framing climate change as a shared systems challenge requiring coordinated action across government, the private sector, and communities.

He said adaptation in health systems includes ensuring facilities remain functional during extreme weather, protecting supply chains from disruption, and maintaining access to care even when populations are displaced.

Dr Kileba also emphasised the need for stronger community awareness, particularly among outdoor workers exposed to rising temperatures and climate-related illnesses.

On gender, the discussions repeatedly returned to women as a key pressure point in climate-health impacts, with disrupted maternal care and family planning services highlighted as critical vulnerabilities during climate shocks.

While acknowledging ongoing efforts to strengthen resilience, Dr Kileba noted that assessing national readiness remains complex, pointing instead to ongoing multi-stakeholder efforts aimed at closing gaps.

The briefing underscored a broader shift in how health and climate are increasingly being framed not as separate policy areas, but as intersecting systems requiring coordinated long-term response.