Kenya’s Milestones in Noncommunicable Disease Care Follow Years of Collaboration
Dr. Yvette Kisaka, technical lead for NCDs at the Kenya Ministry of Health, speaks at Kenya’s inaugural National NCD Conference in November 2025 as Dr. Neil Gupta (left), senior director of policy for the NCDI Poverty Network, looks on. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Mary Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, a member of the Network’s Steering Committee)
November was a landmark month for noncommunicable disease care in Kenya, as government officials, health leaders, and partners not only hosted the country’s first National NCD Conference but also used the occasion to launch Kenya’s National Operational Plan for PEN-Plus implementation.
These milestones were years in the making.
“It’s a culmination of a long-standing collaboration between the Network and the government of Kenya,” said Dr. Neil Gupta, senior director of policy for the Network. “Our relationship with the Ministry of Health, NCD Alliance Kenya, and the partnership landscape is incredibly strong. It’s a unique setting where there is a direct line across all the Network’s phases, thanks mainly to the dynamic Ministry of Health team. We have cultivated deep and meaningful relationships across the ecosystem here.”
Representatives from the Kenya Ministry of Health, NCD Alliance Kenya, the NCDI Poverty Network, and partners gather to cut the ribbon on Kenya’s inaugural National NCD Conference, which featured the launch of a PEN-Plus National Operational Plan and capped years of collaboration on NCD care.
Dr. Gupta attended the Nairobi conference and operational plan launch along with Dr. Natnael Abebe, the Network’s regional advisor for East Africa.
The Network has supported the establishment of PEN-Plus facilities and training centers in two counties: Isiolo, north of Nairobi in central Kenya, and Vihiga, in western Kenya near Lake Victoria. The new operational plan sets a framework for reaching an additional 20 counties over the next seven years.
“The initial PEN-Plus clinics are considered a huge success, and the appetite for scale-up is enormous,” Dr. Gupta said. “Our Kenyan partners have detailed and constructive thinking around successes, challenges, and opportunities for scale.”
Dr. Neil Gupta (left) and Dr. Mary Amuyunzu-Nyamongo join partners in displaying Kenya’s new PEN-Plus National Operational Plan.
The NCD Alliance Kenya highlighted the conference and plan launch on its social media, reflecting on the success of PEN-Plus in the country.
“PEN-Plus is designed to strengthen low-level health facilities so that people living with severe chronic NCDs in poorly resourced regions can access timely, life-saving services closer to home,” one post stated. “From the early successes in counties like Vihiga and Isiolo, PEN-Plus has already demonstrated what is possible when county leadership, strong partnerships, and sustained investment align.”
With the National Operational Plan launch, the post continued, “The ambition is clear: Expand this model to other counties, ensuring every Kenyan regardless of where they live can access quality NCD care. This launch reinforces one powerful truth: Comprehensive NCD care doesn’t just treat; it transforms lives.”