ICRHK played a crucial role in strengthening Kenya’s national immunization program by serving as the in-country evaluation partner for the GAVI Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Grant.
Working with a consortium led by hera, ICRHK conducted a comprehensive mixed-method summative evaluation of the grant, which was implemented from November 2017 to September 2023 and managed by UNICEF.
The grant’s primary goal was to reduce childhood illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases by improving the country’s immunization system. A key focus was to enhance equitable access and quality of immunization services, particularly for remote and underserved communities, aligning with Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) strategy.
The evaluation, which was conducted at the national, county, and community levels, assessed the program’s relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, with these five criteria from the OECD/DAC evaluation framework guiding the entire process.
Methodology
- 47 Documents reviewed
- 107 Key Informant Interviews
- 17 Group Interviews
- 51 Focus Group Discussions
- 51 Modified Data Quality Self-Assessment
- Lessons learned
Community role
Community health promoters played a key role in tracing defaulters, conducting outreaches and strengthening linkages between communities and the health system
Key enablers
Political engagement and use of technology emerged as key enablers for immunization uptake and system accountability
Alignment & coherence
The intervention successfully aligned with national priorities and demonstrated strong coherence with other donor supported health initiatives
Key Contributions & Results
- Equity in Access: Enabled routine immunization in 17 counties, reaching mobile, urban poor, and underserved populations.
- Systems Strengthening: Improved immunization supply chains, data systems, and service delivery at all levels.
- Evidence-Based Planning: Contributed to national evaluation of Gavi HSS impact, efficiency, and relevance in a devolved context.
- Sustainability & Governance: Informed assessments on government readiness, domestic financing, and long-term political commitment.
