IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v9y2025issue-9p5649-5662.html

Examining the Technical Efficiency of the Healthcare System in Kenya

Author

Listed:
  • Ongoro Tom Okoth

    (A Master Candidate, Maseno University-Kenya)

  • Dr Yasin Ghabon

    (Lecturer Department of Economics, Maseno University, Kenya)

Abstract

This study assessed the efficiency of Kenya's health sector by examining the relationship between health system inputs and health outcomes. Guided by a conceptual framework that links health financing, workforce availability, and infrastructure to outputs such as maternal and infant health outcomes and immunization coverage, the analysis used data from the National and County Health Budget Analysis FY 2023/24, the Kenya Health Facility Census 2023, and the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022. Descriptive statistics revealed that health sector allocations remain below the Abuja Declaration threshold of 15%, averaging less than 10% of total government spending, with recurrent expenditure absorbing the largest share. Workforce distribution remains inequitable, with only 12 counties meeting WHO-recommended densities, and bed capacity is concentrated in Level 4 facilities. These disparities were associated with mixed performance in maternal mortality, infant mortality, and immunization coverage, with some counties lagging. The findings underscore the need to optimize existing resources, strengthen health system capacity, and address county-level inequities. Consistent with the Grossman model, the results highlight that investments in health inputs are critical for improving population health and advancing progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Suggested Citation

  • Ongoro Tom Okoth & Dr Yasin Ghabon, 2025. "Examining the Technical Efficiency of the Healthcare System in Kenya," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(9), pages 5649-5662, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-9:p:5649-5662
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-9-issue-9/5649-5662.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/examining-the-technical-efficiency-of-the-healthcare-system-in-kenya/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grossman, Michael, 1972. "On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(2), pages 223-255, March-Apr.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eric French & Elaine Kelly & Richard Cookson & Carol Propper & Miqdad Asaria & Rosalind Raine, 2016. "Socio‐Economic Inequalities in Health Care in England," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 37, pages 371-403, September.
    2. Rana Ejaz Ali Khan & Muhammad Ali Raza, 2017. "Utilization of Quality Source of Prenatal-Care in India: An Evidence from IDHS," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 1163-1178, April.
    3. Anura Amarasinghe & Gerard D'Souza & Cheryl Brown & Tatiana Borisova, 2006. "A Spatial Analysis of Obesity in West Virginia," Working Papers Working Paper 2006-13, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    4. Kristina Burström & Magnus Johannesson & Finn Diderichsen, 2003. "The value of the change in health in Sweden 1980/81 to 1996/97," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(8), pages 637-654, August.
    5. Robert Kaestner, 1995. "The Effects of Cocaine and Marijuana Use on Marriage and Marital Stability," NBER Working Papers 5038, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Tansel, Aysit & Keskin, Halil Ibrahim, 2017. "Education Effects on Days Hospitalized and Days out of Work by Gender: Evidence from Turkey," IZA Discussion Papers 11210, IZA Network @ LISER.
    7. Xuming He & Heng Xi & Xianbo Li, 2024. "Multi-Dimensional Decomposition, Measurement, and Governance Mechanism of Relative Poverty in Chinese Households under the Goal of Common Prosperity: Empirical Analysis Based on CFPS2020 Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-24, June.
    8. repec:osf:osfxxx:pjvgd_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Hongliang Wang & Yiwen Yu, 2016. "Increasing health inequality in China: An empirical study with ordinal data," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 14(1), pages 41-61, March.
    10. Ning Xu & Chang’an Li, 2023. "Migration and Rural Sustainability: Relative Poverty Alleviation by Geographical Mobility in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-27, April.
    11. Jianglong Li & Shiqiang Sun & Mun Sing Ho, 2024. "Immediate Impacts of Air Pollution on the Performance of Football Players," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 25(6), pages 753-776, August.
    12. Lurås, Hilde, 2009. "A healthy lifestyle: The product of opportunities and preferences," HERO Online Working Paper Series 2001:11, University of Oslo, Health Economics Research Programme.
    13. Charles Hokayem & James P. Ziliak, 2014. "Health, Human Capital, and Life Cycle Labor Supply," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(5), pages 127-131, May.
    14. de Walque, Damien, 2007. "How does the impact of an HIV/AIDS information campaign vary with educational attainment? Evidence from rural Uganda," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 686-714, November.
    15. Yuri Reina-Aranza, 2015. "Violencia de pareja y estado de salud de la mujer en Colombia," Documentos de Trabajo Sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 13964, Banco de la República, Economía Regional.
    16. Högberg, Björn & Scarpa, Simone, 2025. "Widening disparities in all-cause and despair-related mortality among Swedish youths: Disentangling selection and causation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 377(C).
    17. Bemile, Esther & Anders, Sven M., 2014. "Linking Diet-Health Behaviour and Obesity using Propensity Score Matching," 2014 International Congress, August 26-29, 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 182832, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Joseph P. Newhouse, 2021. "An Ounce of Prevention," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 35(2), pages 101-118, Spring.
    19. Nadja van 't Hoff & Giovanni Mellace & Seetha Menon, 2025. "Gender Differences in Healthcare Utilisation -- Evidence from Unexpected Adverse Health Shocks," Papers 2509.01310, arXiv.org.
    20. Maruyama, Shiko, 2015. "The effect of coresidence on parental health in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 1-22.
    21. Omar Galárraga & Sandra Sosa-Rubí & César Infante & Paul Gertler & Stefano Bertozzi, 2014. "Willingness-to-accept reductions in HIV risks: conditional economic incentives in Mexico," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 15(1), pages 41-55, January.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-9:p:5649-5662. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.