NAIROBI, 16 September 2026 — The Government of Kenya, the United Nations and development partners met for the 15th Development Partnership Forum, with opportunities for young people at the centre of discussions on the country’s development priorities.Chaired by Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki and co-chaired by UN Resident Coordinator Dr Garry Conille and Germany’s Ambassador Sebastian Groth, the Forum brought together senior Government officials, development partners and representatives of other sectors to examine how cooperation can translate more directly into opportunities and results for Kenyans.Youth employment provided the central thread. But the discussion went beyond jobs alone. Participants examined the economic conditions that shape opportunity, how effectively development resources are reaching programmes and communities, the changing nature of international development financing and preparedness for expected heavy rains.For Deputy President Kindiki, the starting point was to recognise young people not simply as recipients of development programmes but as participants in the country’s economic transformation.“Our young people are not merely beneficiaries of development programmes; they are central actors in the transformation of our economy and society,” he said. UN Resident Coordinator Dr Garry Conille connected that ambition to a wider question facing Government and its partners: whether improvements at the macroeconomic and policy level are translating into changes that people can see in their lives.“Progress that families can experience is what strengthens confidence in the wider reform effort,” he said.Moving young people from learning to earningMuch of the youth discussion focused on what happens beyond training: whether young people can move into employment, build viable businesses, access finance or gain the practical experience needed to earn a sustainable living.Government and partners highlighted the need for stronger connections between training and labour-market demand, closer engagement with employers, improved workplace learning and greater support for youth-led enterprises.The Deputy President called for youth employment to become a measurable priority across Government, including through targets in performance contracts and sector plans. He also called for development partners and the private sector to help co-design and finance youth programmes, expand market access and strengthen mentorship for youth-led businesses.Fikirini Jacobs Katoi Kahindi, Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy, presented the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement, NYOTA, programme as one example of this approach. He reported that 124,000 young people had enrolled in its business-support component, exceeding an initial target of 100,000.The discussion also underscored the need to reach young people who face greater barriers to opportunity. The UN called for particular attention to young women, persons with disabilities and young people in underserved counties.Prof. Kindiki announced a dedicated follow-up meeting with the Principal Secretaries responsible for youth and small enterprises, supported by their Cabinet Secretaries, to work through practical next steps.The youth agenda was also linked to wider economic conditions. The Deputy President pointed to improvements in the currency, inflation and borrowing conditions, while acknowledging that reductions in benchmark interest rates had not yet translated sufficiently into lower commercial lending rates. Access to affordable finance remains a major consideration for young entrepreneurs and small businesses seeking to start, expand and employ others. Making development financing work betterThe Forum also turned to a more fundamental delivery question: what happens when development resources have been committed but programmes are delayed or funds are not fully used.Participants examined the gap between development assistance committed to Kenya and the resources ultimately disbursed and absorbed. JICA highlighted cases where insufficient Government budget allocations and delayed releases can slow payments and interrupt implementation even when development partners have committed financing.A review of Kenya’s use of Official Development Assistance had identified measures on which Government and partners already agreed, alongside issues requiring further discussion.Prof. Kindiki directed that agreed measures should not wait for the wider review to conclude.Areas where agreement already exists, he said, should be “picked out and pushed forward for implementation with immediate effect”.He committed to establishing a small, high-level Government team to identify measures that can move immediately. Conille said development partners would use the relevant technical mechanisms to consolidate their feedback and return to Government on the outstanding recommendations.The Deputy President also gave the National Treasury 30 days to finalise the external resource mobilisation policy for submission to Cabinet and subsequently Parliament.The discussion placed renewed attention on Joint Sector Working Groups, which bring Government and development partners together around sector priorities and implementation challenges. Susan A. Mangeni, Principal Secretary for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, reported that 17 of 22 groups had met during the last financial year, compared with seven previously.Partners proposed examining groups that remain inactive, including whether their mandates remain relevant, where coordination could be simplified and, most importantly, whether the groups are resolving the problems they were established to address. Adapting development partnershipsThe Forum took place against a changing international financing environment, with development partners facing increasing pressure on aid budgets.Germany’s Ambassador Sebastian Groth called for partnerships to adapt by combining development cooperation with stronger domestic resource mobilisation, private investment and trade. He also stressed the need to manage the transition carefully so that existing development gains and ongoing investments are not disrupted.Conille similarly emphasised the value of early dialogue when financing priorities change, allowing national and county institutions more time to plan and adjust.The discussion also extended to cooperation around Kenya’s electoral cycle, where Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Dr Musalia Mudavadi stressed the importance of predictable engagement grounded in Kenya’s constitutional and legal framework.“We want to abide by the rule of law,” Mudavadi said, calling for a shared understanding of the rules and procedures governing partner support.He reaffirmed that Kenya intends to maintain its constitutional electoral timetable, while Government encouraged development partners wishing to support the electoral process to work through established institutions and mechanisms. Preparing before the rainsThe Forum also considered preparations for the expected heavy rains, shifting attention from response after a crisis to action before communities are affected.The Deputy President said Government had activated a multi-agency preparedness framework and would convene humanitarian and development partners for more detailed discussions on priority interventions and available support.The UN offered support for coordinated preparedness and anticipatory action aimed at reducing risks to lives, livelihoods and essential services.The discussion reflected a broader message running through the Forum: development cooperation is ultimately measured not by commitments made in meeting rooms but by whether institutions can turn them into practical results.The immediate follow-up now spans several fronts: expanding pathways into jobs and enterprise for young people, addressing bottlenecks affecting development financing, strengthening coordination mechanisms and preparing communities before the rains arrive.

NAIROBI, 10 September 2026. Protecting critical infrastructure increasingly means protecting more than a physical facility. It means safeguarding the services, digital systems, people and networks that allow societies and economies to function.That was a central message from the Fifth Nairobi Caucus on Protecting Critical Infrastructure Systems and Public Spaces from Terrorism, held in Nairobi from 7 to 8 September 2026.Convened by Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) through its Nairobi Programme Office, the meeting brought together 200 participants from 24 Member States, alongside representatives of 11 regional organisations, United Nations entities, international partners and other stakeholders.Over two days, policymakers, practitioners and experts examined how terrorist threats to infrastructure and public spaces were changing, and what governments, operators and partners needed to do differently to anticipate threats, reduce vulnerabilities and keep essential services functioning when incidents occurred.For Kenya, the discussion came as continued investment in transport, energy, digital systems and other infrastructure was expanding both the country’s economic opportunities and the systems requiring protection.Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi said the focus of the meeting was particularly relevant to Kenya’s infrastructure development.“Our dams, railways, digital assets, energy infrastructure, health systems and stadia are critical infrastructure that should be protected from terrorists’ attacks,” Mudavadi said. From protecting sites to protecting systemsA recurring theme across the Caucus was the need to move beyond security built mainly around individual sites.Modern infrastructure is increasingly interconnected. Physical facilities depend on communications networks, digital systems, personnel, supply chains and other services. Disruption to one part of that network can therefore affect many others, with consequences for public services, livelihoods, economic activity and public safety.Participants examined how protection could be strengthened through risk and vulnerability assessments, security by design, preparedness, inter-agency coordination, business continuity, emergency response, crisis communication and post-incident recovery.The emphasis was not only on responding more effectively when an attack occurred. It was also on identifying vulnerabilities earlier, preparing institutions and infrastructure operators beforehand and ensuring that essential services could continue or recover quickly after disruption.Mudavadi called for a stronger shift from reactive security towards what he described as proactive and resilient protective security.He proposed five connected areas for action: anticipation, readiness, mitigation, response and recovery. These ranged from improving national and regional capacity to identify terrorist risks to strengthening preparedness, reducing known vulnerabilities, coordinating responses and putting systems in place to restore stability following an incident.“Investments in protective security must never be seen as mere operational costs, but as strategic investments in national stability, security and sustainable development,” Mudavadi said.The approach linked infrastructure security directly to development. Electricity networks, transport systems, health facilities, ports, water systems and digital services are not only physical assets. They enable public services, commerce and everyday life. Their resilience therefore has direct consequences for development and the ability of institutions to continue serving communities. The digital dimensionThe discussions also reflected how digitisation was changing the meaning of critical infrastructure.As essential services became increasingly dependent on digital platforms, data networks and automated systems, participants considered threats that might disrupt infrastructure without directly attacking a physical facility.Mudavadi noted that a cyberattack could interfere with electricity grids, water systems, transport networks, financial services and other essential infrastructure.“We therefore need to protect not only the physical asset, but also the data, networks, software and human systems upon which that asset depends,” he said.This placed cybersecurity and physical security within the same resilience discussion. It also strengthened the case for incorporating risk and security considerations at the design and planning stages of infrastructure projects rather than treating protection as something added later.The regional implications were equally significant.Kenya’s ports, airports, transport corridors, communications infrastructure and other systems support economic activity beyond its borders. Mudavadi pointed to the Port of Mombasa as one example of infrastructure whose security mattered not only to Kenya, but also to countries that depend on it for trade and access to global markets.Protecting interconnected infrastructure therefore required stronger cooperation across borders, alongside coordination within countries.Protecting public spaces while keeping them openThe Caucus also examined a different security challenge: protecting public spaces that, by their nature, needed to remain accessible.Transport hubs, markets, places of worship, sporting facilities, entertainment venues and other publicly accessible spaces bring large numbers of people together. Unlike highly controlled facilities, their social and economic purpose depends partly on remaining open.This required approaches that balanced accessibility with risk awareness, preparedness and the capacity to respond quickly when threats emerged.It also reinforced the importance of involving a broader range of actors. Local authorities, security agencies, infrastructure operators, businesses and communities all hold different pieces of the information, capacity and responsibility required to keep public spaces safe. Security as a shared responsibilityThe need for stronger cooperation between government and the private sector featured prominently throughout the two-day meeting.Many critical services are owned, managed or delivered by private operators. Participants therefore discussed practical arrangements for information-sharing, early warning, risk management, business continuity and coordinated responses before an emergency occurred.For Steven Sequeira, Deputy Director of UNOCT, this wider understanding of protection was central to the discussions.“Protecting critical infrastructure and public spaces means protecting the systems, services and places that societies depend on every day. It requires risk-informed preparedness, strong public-private partnerships and the capacity to prevent, mitigate, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks.”The Caucus also placed particular emphasis on practical experience and peer learning. National case studies, plenary discussions, expert contributions and breakout sessions allowed participants to compare approaches, examine common vulnerabilities and consider how international practices could be adapted to different national and regional contexts.Kibiego Kigen, Director General of NCTC Kenya, said stronger regional cooperation needed to be grounded in solutions that reflected African realities.“Our success rests on solidarity and a shared resolve to innovate contextualised, African-led solutions that eradicate the threats of terrorism from our region and across our continent,” Kigen said. Building regional cooperationThe Fifth Nairobi Caucus built on four previous editions held since the initiative was established in 2022.The annual consultative framework brings together Member States, regional organisations and international partners to examine terrorism and violent extremism challenges affecting East Africa, exchange experience and identify areas where cooperation can be strengthened.The 2026 meeting placed critical infrastructure and public spaces within that wider regional conversation, but also sharpened an underlying development question: how can countries protect increasingly interconnected systems while ensuring that the services built around them continue to reach people?The discussions pointed towards a broader understanding of resilience. Protecting infrastructure was not only about preventing physical damage. It also meant anticipating risks, strengthening institutions and partnerships, protecting digital and human systems and ensuring that essential services could withstand disruption and recover when crises occurred.For economies and communities increasingly dependent on interconnected infrastructure, that capacity to continue functioning had become part of the security challenge itself.

The next phase of Kenya’s refugee response will be shaped not only by policy, but by whether the institutions and economies of refugee-hosting areas are strong enough to support a more inclusive model.That was one of the central questions to emerge from a joint United Nations mission to Kakuma and Kalobeyei from 2 to 4 September 2026, which brought together Heads of Agencies and senior programme leads from 14 UN entities alongside national and county government representatives.The mission came as the Government of Kenya advances the Shirika Plan, its framework for moving beyond long-term encampment towards greater social and economic inclusion of refugees within national and county systems.In Turkana, where more than 320,000 refugees and asylum-seekers live alongside host communities, that transition has immediate implications for public services, local institutions and the wider economy.The delegation, led by Dr Garry Conille, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, Ms Fatima Mohammed Cole, UNHCR Representative in Kenya and Ms Mercy Mwasaru, Acting Commissioner for Refugee Affairs, met Government and county leaders, UN teams, communities and partners across Kakuma and Kalobeyei. National and county representatives included Dr John Erus, Deputy Governor of Turkana County, Mr Julius Kavita, Turkana County Commissioner The visit focused on the conditions needed to support a more integrated approach, including stronger services, greater economic opportunity and better coordination around the needs of both refugees and host communities. A transition that depends on stronger systemsThe Shirika Plan represents an important change in direction.For decades, many services for refugees have been provided through humanitarian systems operating alongside national and county structures. Shirika seeks to progressively expand refugees’ access to public services and economic opportunities while preserving protection and humanitarian assistance for those who continue to need it.In practice, that means looking closely at the capacity of the systems expected to carry a greater share of the responsibility.During the mission, the delegation reviewed challenges and opportunities across health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, energy and social protection. It also considered the role of agriculture, livestock and other livelihoods in expanding economic participation.The discussions pointed to a clear challenge. Greater inclusion will place new demands on institutions that are already managing existing development pressures.Health facilities require staff, medicines and financing. Schools require teachers, classrooms and learning materials. Water systems need infrastructure and maintenance. County institutions need the capacity to plan and deliver services to a larger and more diverse population.The transition envisioned under Shirika will therefore depend not only on opening access to services, but also on investing in the systems that provide them.“The joint mission brought forth to all of us the importance of moving together as one, because we cannot separate the people. They are members and residents of the same ecosystem,” said Ms Mercy Mwasaru, Acting Commissioner for Refugee Affairs.The joint mission brought forth to all of us the importance of moving together as one, because we cannot separate the people. They are members and residents of the same ecosystem“If we consolidate the resources we have and put them to prudent use and proper application, it is going to be life-changing for both refugees and host communities going forward.” Building on what already existsTurkana is not starting from a blank page.The Kalobeyei Integrated Socio-Economic Development Plan, or KISEDP, has already provided a framework for national and county governments, the UN, development partners, communities and other actors to work around shared services and local economic development.That experience offers lessons for the next phase.It has shown the value of planning around a shared geography rather than treating refugee and host populations as entirely separate constituencies. It has also shown that investments in services, infrastructure and livelihoods can support both communities when they are designed around local systems and county priorities.But the scale of Shirika is broader.The challenge now is how to take those lessons further while addressing the financing, institutional capacity and coordination required for a more sustained transition.For Turkana County, that means connecting refugee inclusion to the county’s wider development priorities.“For Turkana County, refugee inclusion must translate into stronger public services, infrastructure and economic opportunities that benefit both refugees and host communities,” said Dr John Erus, Deputy Governor of Turkana County.“Through the Shirika Plan, KISEDP and its ASPIRE Roadmap, we have an opportunity to build on what has been achieved, strengthen county systems and attract investment that creates jobs, expands livelihoods and supports the development of the entire county.”This connection is critical.Turkana continues to face significant development gaps, including pressure on services, limited infrastructure, climate vulnerability and constrained economic opportunities. Any transition towards greater refugee inclusion will be more sustainable if it contributes to the county’s wider development rather than creating a separate set of interventions around refugee-hosting areas.A more coherent UN responseThe mission also highlighted the implications of Shirika for the UN Country Team.The issues involved cut across multiple sectors and mandates: protection, health, education, water, social protection, livelihoods, financing, governance and local economic development.No single agency holds all the expertise needed to address them.“No single agency can deliver the Shirika Plan alone. Our responsibility as the UN Country Team is to listen to the Government, counties and communities and bring our different mandates and expertise together behind one shared approach,” said Dr Garry Conille, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya.No single agency can deliver the Shirika Plan alone. Our responsibility as the UN Country Team is to listen to the Government, counties and communities and bring our different mandates and expertise together behind one shared approach.“What we have seen and heard in Kakuma and Kalobeyei will help us shape practical, coordinated support that strengthens national and local systems while responding to the continuing needs of refugees and host communities.”The mission therefore served not only as a review of conditions on the ground, but also as a test of how the UN itself needs to work differently.Rather than approaching Shirika through separate agency programmes, the aim is to build a more coherent offer around Government and county priorities, combining humanitarian, development, financing and institutional expertise.That approach will require greater clarity on where agencies lead, where they complement one another and how support can be organised around shared outcomes rather than individual mandates. Beyond coordinationThe scale of the transition will also require support beyond the UN system.Government leadership and county ownership will remain central, but sustained donor engagement, development financing, private sector investment and community participation will also be needed.Refugees and refugee-led organisations will need to be part of shaping the systems and opportunities that affect them. Host communities will need to see tangible benefits from the transition, particularly in services, infrastructure and livelihoods.This is where the success of the Shirika Plan will ultimately be tested.Not simply in whether more refugees are formally included in national and county systems, but in whether those systems become stronger, better financed and more capable of serving everyone.Not simply in whether humanitarian structures are reduced, but in whether the institutions taking on greater responsibility are ready to do so.And not simply in whether refugees gain access to opportunity, but in whether that opportunity expands for host communities as well.The lessons from Kakuma and Kalobeyei will help shape UN support to the Government of Kenya and Turkana County and inform the Common Country Analysis and the next United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.For Turkana, the central challenge is now clearer: refugee inclusion will be sustainable only if it strengthens the place in which it happens.

The most revealing moment at the Kenya Health Summit came when President William Ruto moved away from laws, institutions and national figures and spoke about the person seeking care.“Because the ultimate measure of reform is not the laws we pass or the numbers we register, but the experience of every patient in terms of dependable, affordable and dignified care,” he said.That statement changed the question.Kenya has passed new health laws, introduced a new financing system, expanded community health services and invested in digital tools. The Government reported that 32.3 million people had registered with the Social Health Authority. It also reported more than 20 million outpatient visits supported through the Primary Healthcare Fund and the deployment of 107,800 Community Health Promoters.These figures show the size of the effort. They do not tell us what happened when a person needed care.Did the patient know what services were covered? Was a health worker available? Was the prescribed medicine on the shelf? Did a referral lead to treatment? Could the family receive care without having to borrow money or sell an asset?Five lessons from the Summit point to where Kenya could make its next gains.The ultimate measure of reform is not the laws we pass or the numbers we register, but the experience of every patient in terms of dependable, affordable and dignified care.1. The numbers only tell us where the journey startsRegistering millions of people with the Social Health Authority matters. It gives people the chance to receive care through a shared national system.But registration is the beginning of the journey, not proof that the journey was completed.A registered person must understand what the health scheme covers. They must find a facility that can provide the service. The facility must recognise their membership. A health worker must be available and the claim must be processed. The person must then receive safe care without being asked to pay an unlawful or unaffordable charge.The Government reported that eight million people had received treatment through the new system. This shows that the system is being used on a large scale. However, the information provided at the Summit does not show how many people tried to obtain care but could not, how long they waited or how much they still paid from their own pockets.The President acknowledged that this part of the system needs more attention.“We know that there are areas to improve, including making registration easier, benefits to be made clearer, claims faster, digital systems more seamless, and the quality of care more consistent,” he said.The next useful figures will therefore go beyond registration. Kenya needs to know whether people understand their benefits, whether they receive the service they need and whether care protects their families from financial hardship.A registration card matters most when it works at the facility door. 2. The nearest health worker may be the one who never waits inside a hospitalOne of Kenya’s greatest opportunities to improve access may already be working inside communities.“These days with the Community Health Promoters, the hospital is going to the people,” Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja told the Summit.The Government reported that 107,800 Community Health Promoters had reached more than nine million households and made over 750,000 referrals.Behind those figures are thousands of people visiting homes, identifying health risks and helping families decide when and where to seek care.A Community Health Promoter can encourage a pregnant woman to attend antenatal care. They can identify a child who has missed an immunisation, recognise signs of illness and support a patient who needs follow-up. They can also help families understand a health system that may feel unfamiliar or difficult to navigate.This work could help Kenya prevent illness and identify problems before they become emergencies.Yet one important question remains unanswered. What happens after a Community Health Promoter makes a referral?The referral only succeeds if the patient reaches the facility, finds an appropriate health worker and receives the required care. If the facility is too far away, understaffed or without medicine, the referral has been recorded but the patient has not been helped.UN Resident Coordinator Garry Conille described what completed delivery should look like: “A reform is delivered when a mother in any county reaches safe and respectful care in time, when a community health promoter can complete a referral, when a clinician finds the medicine that was prescribed and when a family seeks treatment without fear that illness will push them into poverty.”Community Health Promoters need regular payment, useful equipment and proper supervision. They also need a clear way to find out whether the people they refer actually received care.The country should not measure community health only by home visits and referrals made. It should also measure referrals completed and people successfully treated.3. Money must arrive before the medicine runs out“A health system is only as credible as the medicine on its shelves,” Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told the Summit.His point was simple and important. A patient cannot be treated with an allocation, a payment report or a procurement plan. They need the right medicine at the right time.The Government reported that Kenya shillings 23.3 billion had been disbursed through the Primary Healthcare Fund. It also said Kenya shillings 178 billion had been paid to contracted health facilities since October 2024.These are significant amounts. The next question is whether facilities receive the money predictably enough to keep providing care.A delayed payment may eventually become an unpaid supplier, an unavailable test or an empty medicine shelf. The patient may then be sent to buy medicine elsewhere, turning a problem inside the financing system into a cost for the family.Government speakers also reported a large improvement in the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority’s order fill rate. However, they gave different figures. Some cited 91 per cent while others cited 95 per cent. They also gave different starting points.Those figures should be checked and explained before publication. Even after that, a national percentage cannot tell a patient whether the medicine they need is available at their local facility.The same is true of medical equipment. Delivering a machine to a facility is only the first step. The equipment must be installed, maintained and supplied with the materials needed to use it. A trained health worker must also be available.The most useful question is not simply how much money was paid or how much equipment was delivered. It is what care became available as a result. 4. Patients should not have to understand which level of government is responsibleKenya’s national government passes health laws and runs national financing systems. County governments manage much of the care delivered in local facilities.For the person who is sick, these responsibilities are not separate. They are one experience.Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi put it plainly: “The two levels of government must work together all the time.”There are examples of that cooperation. The national and county governments share the cost of paying Community Health Promoters. Counties reported receiving Kenya shillings 46 billion through the new health financing arrangements. The Government also reported that 98 per cent of public facilities had joined the Social Health Authority system.But joining a system does not mean every facility is equally ready to provide care.Counties need enough health workers. Facilities need reliable funding and medicines. Referral services must connect smaller health centres to hospitals that offer more specialised treatment. National digital systems must work in facilities with different levels of staffing, equipment and internet access.Council of Governors Chair Ahmed Abdullahi acknowledged that workforce shortages and labour relations remain difficult. He then offered a useful way forward: “Let’s build on what has worked, confront what has not.”This requires honest information from every county. Where are patients waiting longest? Which facilities regularly run out of essential medicine? Where are health workers most stretched? Which referrals are not being completed?National progress will depend on answering these local questions. A person’s access to dependable care should not be decided by their county, distance from a major town or ability to travel elsewhere. 5. Trust will be earned one ordinary visit at a time“Systems do not deliver simply because they are well designed,” Conille told the Summit. “They deliver because people, leaders, health workers, communities, keep faith in one another.”Trust can sound like a vague idea. In health care, it is practical.A patient goes to a facility believing that the service will be available. A facility treats a patient believing that the claim will be paid. A health worker reports for duty expecting to have the tools needed to provide care. A household contributes to the health scheme believing that support will be available when illness comes.When these expectations are repeatedly disappointed, people may delay care, stop contributing or look for help elsewhere.Kenya’s digital health reforms are intended to make the system more open and easier to check.“Digitisation is not simply about replacing paper with screens,” the President said. “It is about making every patient visible, every treatment traceable and every payment accountable.”A digital record can show what happened. It cannot ensure that anyone acts on that information.Mistakes still need to be corrected. Suspicious claims need to be investigated. Complaints need to be answered. Patients need to know what they should pay and where they can seek help if they believe they have been charged unfairly.Trust can be measured through everyday experiences. How long does a claim take? How many complaints are resolved? How often are patients asked to pay for covered services? Do people remain in the scheme after registering? Are problems found through digital records corrected?Public confidence will not be built by registration campaigns alone. It will be earned when the system works as promised during an ordinary visit to an ordinary health facility.Systems do not deliver simply because they are well designed. They deliver because people, leaders, health workers, communities, keep faith in one another.What happens nextThe Summit showed that Kenya has put many important parts of a new health system in place.The next phase is less visible but more demanding. It is about making sure that registration leads to care, a community referral leads to treatment, facility funding leads to available services and digital records lead to action.“A right written is a promise. A right delivered is a country keeping its word,” Conille said.For a patient, keeping that word is practical. It means finding a health worker, receiving the right medicine, completing a referral and leaving the facility without a bill that places the family in hardship.That is where the next chapter of Kenya’s health reforms will be judged. Not only in laws passed or people registered, but in whether care works when and where a person needs it.