By Eddah Waithaka
Leading journalists, health experts, and policymakers met at the Sarova Stanley Hotel today for the Kenya Editors’ Guild (KEG) Thought Leadership Series, where they tackled the growing crisis of shrinking Official Development Assistance (ODA) and its impact on Africa’s health and development.
Under the theme “The Impact of ODA Cuts on Health & Development in Africa,” speakers called for urgent action, pushing for stronger local financing, media engagement, and systemic reforms to counter dwindling donor support.
Journalists Must Dig Deeper
Rosalia Omungo, CEO of the Kenya Editors’ Guild, opened the forum with a sharp challenge to journalists.
“We must move beyond surface-level reporting,” she said. “Our role is to expose the real human cost of these aid cuts, how they weaken health systems, disrupt vaccine programs, and leave mothers and children without care.”
She urged newsrooms to invest in specialized health reporting and hold leaders accountable.
“If we don’t tell these stories with depth and context, who will?”
Experts Warn of Looming Health Crisis
A high-profile panel featuring Dr. Githinji Gitahi (AMREF), Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi (APHRC), Dr. Ayoade Alakija (African Vaccine Delivery Alliance), and Dr. Patrick Amoth (Ministry of Health) warned that ODA cuts threaten decades of progress in malaria control, maternal health, and disease prevention.
Dr. Willis Akhwale, Special Advisor at the End Malaria Council, delivered a stark message, “This isn’t just about budget cuts, it’s a failure of preparedness. Did African governments ever build sustainable systems, or did we rely too much on donors?”
He demanded a radical shift in strategy. “Sustainability can’t be an afterthought. It must be the core of our health financing, through private partnerships, domestic investment, and innovation.”
The forum ended with a rallying cry for a new narrative, one where African governments and communities drive solutions, rather than waiting for aid.
“We must reframe the conversation,” Omungo stressed. “Africa isn’t just a beneficiary. We are leaders, innovators, and owners of our future.”
As donor support fades, the forum made one thing clear, Journalism must evolve not just to report the crisis, but to push for the solutions that will save lives.
The stakes? Nothing less than the survival of Africa’s health systems.
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