PS Muthoni Launches Women In Healthcare Caucus, Calls On Female Health Workers To Upskill Through Government-Funded Training

NAIROBI,Kenya, Jul 4-Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni has challenged women in healthcare sector to take advantage of government-funded opportunities for advanced training, revealing that scholarships meant to support professional development are largely being taken up by men.

Speaking during the launch of the Women in Healthcare Kenya Caucus in Nairobi, Muthoni said the government has allocated funding to enable healthcare workers in public facilities to pursue further studies, but many women are not applying.

“Those who work in our public facilities, the government has money to take you back to school. Please take advantage of that,” she said.

“I am the one who approves the lists but every other name that comes is a male name. You people are not applying. Go back to school. Let us get as many specialists in this country as we can.”

She urged women across the healthcare workforce, from community health promoters and nurses to doctors, to embrace opportunities for career advancement, saying Kenya should focus on building a highly skilled workforce rather than grappling with shortages of specialists.

“Let us have the problem of where to assign them, but let us not have the problem that we do not have skilled people. From nurses all the way to doctors, from community health promoters, we can do better,” she added.

Beyond professional development, Muthoni also encouraged women in healthcare to prioritise their mental health and personal wellbeing, noting that the demands of caring for others often come at the expense of their own health.

The Women in Healthcare Kenya Dinner, held under the theme “Connect. Share. Grow.”, was co-hosted by Muthoni and Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu, President of the World Medical Association.

The event brought together healthcare professionals, policymakers, innovators, development partners, academics, students and emerging leaders from across Kenya’s health sector to celebrate the contributions of women in transforming healthcare delivery.

Participants engaged in discussions on mentorship, leadership, networking and collaboration aimed at strengthening women’s influence across all healthcare cadres.

Muthoni said the newly launched caucus will provide a platform for women to connect, share experiences and support one another while advancing leadership in the sector.

She said the initiative reflects a shared commitment to building a resilient, inclusive and people-centred health system by empowering more women to take up leadership roles, pursue specialised training and contribute to improved health outcomes across the country.