Kenya Improves Training for Rural Health Promoters

The Kenyan government is scaling up efforts to train Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in rural areas as part of a nationwide push to strengthen primary healthcare. Principal Secretary for Public Health, Mary Muthoni Muriuki, recently visited Kisumu, Kakamega, and Nandi counties to evaluate progress in CHP training, confirming that over 12,090 CHPs and 4,000 health assistants have been equipped with essential modules. In addition, more than 21,000 CHPs and Community Health Extension Workers have been trained on Kenya’s digital system, eCHIS, enabling them to record household data and report more effectively.
At the county level, several local governments are also intensifying training for rural health promoters. In Kiambu County, over 2,000 CHPs are undergoing a 10-day comprehensive course covering maternal and child health, nutrition counselling, sanitation, and disease surveillance. The training is being conducted in partnership with Amref Health Africa, Amref International University, and the MasterCard Foundation.Similarly, Nakuru County is rolling out advanced modules in Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM), non‑communicable diseases, and prevention messaging — a move the county government links directly to its commitment to Universal Health Coverage. In Turkana, trainers have been equipped to mentor CHPs on managing childhood illnesses and malnutrition, through a collaboration with UNICEF and Save the Children.
Health experts and county officials say these capacity-building initiatives mark a major step forward in preventive care and community-level health promotion. In Nyamira County, for instance, 120 CHPs have just completed a 10-day retooling exercise to sharpen their skills for health education, early diagnosis, and feedback into the health system. Kirinyaga County has also trained more than 1,200 CHPs in the use of mobile devices for health data collection, basic clinical assessments (like blood pressure), and referring patients appropriately.Meanwhile, a novel health entrepreneurship curriculum is equipping CHPs in Kiambu with business skills — enabling them not just to serve their communities, but to build sustainable livelihoods. Looking ahead, the Ministry of Health says the strengthened CHP cadre will play a pivotal role in advancing Universal Health Coverage by linking households to health facilities, improving disease surveillance, and promoting preventive care — especially in the country’s most remote areas.