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US Bilateral Health Agreements Reshape Financing Landscape for Kenya and Tanzania
Nairobi, Kenya — 25 August 2026
Kenya and Tanzania are among the largest recipients under a new wave of bilateral health financing agreements signed with the United States as Washington restructures its global health engagement following the dissolution of the US Agency for International Development. As of 25 August 2026, 34 countries had signed Memoranda of Understanding under the America First Global Health Strategy, governing a combined US$24.2 billion in health spending between 2026 and 2030, with recipient governments expected to co-finance roughly 40 percent of the total over three to five years.
The agreements mark a deliberate shift away from funding non-governmental implementing partners toward direct government to government financing, with recipient countries required to progressively increase their own budget contributions across the life of each agreement. Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya have signed the largest packages to date, reflecting both the scale of existing health programming in these countries and the scrutiny now attached to their capacity to meet co-financing benchmarks.
Separately, Kenya's Ministry of Health has been in active negotiation with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over an expanded Grant Cycle 8 package intended to accelerate digital health infrastructure and support the country's Social Health Authority. Health ministries in Uganda and Tanzania, both heavily reliant on Global Fund allocations, are monitoring the outcome closely as a potential template for future regional financing.
Source: Think Global Health; Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
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