KELIN and FIDA-Kenya Urge Ministry of Health to Adopt a Rights-Based Approach in Health
The Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network (KELIN) and the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya) launched a powerful campaign urging the Ministry of Health to adopt a rights-based approach to healthcare administration.
This initiative was born out of years of advocacy, research, and a growing recognition that healthcare is not a mere service to be dispensed but a fundamental right that should be accessible, equitable, and responsive to the needs of all Kenyans, especially the most vulnerable.
It all began when KELIN, known for its work in advancing health rights, particularly among marginalized communities, noticed a disturbing trend. Despite Kenya’s progressive Constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right to the highest attainable standard of health, there was a significant gap between policy and practice.
From inadequate healthcare facilities in rural areas to discrimination against women and people living with HIV, the gaps in healthcare access were glaring. KELIN’s legal experts, in collaboration with FIDA-Kenya, a leading women’s rights organization, undertook extensive research across various counties. Their findings were both alarming and heartbreaking. In some parts of the country, patients were denied medical treatment due to their HIV status, while others faced stark challenges in accessing maternal health services.
The report also highlighted the unmet needs of people with disabilities, the elderly, and those living in informal settlements, who often faced systemic barriers in the healthcare system. FIDA-Kenya’s involvement added another layer of urgency.
As a feminist organization, FIDA-Kenya had long been advocating for the health rights of women, particularly those living in poverty or rural areas, where sexual and reproductive health services were still a distant reality. Their surveys found that many women in these communities were forced to rely on unsafe home deliveries due to the lack of accessible healthcare, or worse, faced stigmatization and neglect in health centers.
Armed with this data, KELIN and FIDA-Kenya held a series of consultations with stakeholders in the health sector, including government representatives, civil society organizations, and local community leaders.
The goal was clear: to push for a health system that recognizes healthcare as a human right and not just a service to be dispensed at the government’s discretion.
They called on the Ministry of Health to integrate a rights-based approach in all its health policies, ensuring that healthcare services were not only available but also acceptable, accessible, and of good quality. This approach, they argued, would protect vulnerable groups from discrimination and ensure that no one was left behind, particularly those in marginalized communities.
The rights-based approach, as they explained, would be grounded in the principles of accountability, participation, and non-discrimination. It would require the government to ensure that every individual had access to health services without fear of harassment or exclusion.
Furthermore, the approach would empower communities to participate in decision-making processes about their own health needs and how services should be delivered.
The proposed rights-based framework also called for increased investment in public healthcare infrastructure, especially in rural and underserved areas. KELIN and FIDA-Kenya were firm in their belief that addressing social determinants of health—such as poverty, gender inequality, and education—was key to achieving health equity for all Kenyans.
As the campaign gained momentum, KELIN and FIDA-Kenya organized several advocacy sessions, workshops, and public dialogues. They used real-life stories from affected communities to humanize the issue and bring attention to the everyday struggles of ordinary Kenyans in accessing healthcare.
These stories became the heart of the campaign, putting faces to the numbers and statistics that had often been ignored by policymakers. The Ministry of Health, initially cautious, began to take notice.
In response to the pressure from civil society, the government held consultations with KELIN, FIDA-Kenya, and other partners to discuss the practical steps needed to implement a rights-based approach. These discussions resulted in the creation of a task force to explore the integration of human rights into health sector reforms. By the end of the year, the Ministry of Health had agreed to pilot a rights-based approach in several counties.
This would involve comprehensive training for healthcare workers on the principles of human rights, including how to provide non-discriminatory care and engage communities in health decision-making processes. Additionally, the government committed to ensuring that budget allocations for health would prioritize marginalized groups, including women, children, and persons with disabilities.
Though this was only a starting point, the collaboration between KELIN, FIDA-Kenya, and the Ministry of Health marked a pivotal moment in Kenya’s healthcare system. It signaled a shift toward a more inclusive, accountable, and people-centered approach to health—a system where human dignity and the right to health were recognized as fundamental to the well-being of the nation.
As the campaign continued to unfold, KELIN and FIDA-Kenya remained steadfast in their mission to ensure that every Kenyan, regardless of their background, could enjoy the right to health with dignity, respect, and equality.
Through advocacy, legal empowerment, and public pressure, they hoped to see a future where health care was truly a right for all, not a privilege for the few.
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