Murang'a county referral hospital/COURTESY
Murang’a has emerged as the best-performing county in health services, while Nandi recorded the biggest improvement in the sector, according to the 2026 CountyTrak Performance Index.
The report by Infotrak placed Murang’a first with a health score of 56 per cent, six points ahead of Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot, which tied in second place at 50 per cent.
Kiambu and Tharaka Nithi shared fourth position with 49 per cent each.
Other counties that performed strongly included Kisii and Homa Bay, which tied at 48 per cent, while Trans Nzoia came eighth with 47 per cent.
Kericho, Uasin Gishu, Makueni and Kisumu each scored 46 per cent, with Nandi and Samburu following at 45 per cent.
The national mean score for health stood at 42.5 per cent, making health one of the lower-rated devolved functions in the index.
The findings were based on residents’ perceptions of the performance of their county governments in delivering health services.
Residents were asked to rate, among other issues, the affordability of medical treatment, availability of personnel, equipment and medicine at health facilities, how health concerns were handled at public facilities, access to information on disease prevention and the adequacy of sanitation facilities.
Murang’a’s performance marks a continued improvement in the county’s health rating.
It scored 52 per cent in both 2023 and 2024 before rising to 56 per cent in the latest survey.
The report describes Murang’a as “the only top-5 county to improve every cycle”, rising from 52 per cent to 56 per cent.
Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot also made notable recoveries, each gaining six percentage points after dropping to 44 per cent in 2024.
Kiambu recorded another significant turnaround, moving from 28th position in 2023 to fourth in 2026.
The county’s health score increased from 45 per cent in 2024 to 49 per cent.
But the biggest movement was recorded by Nandi.
The county jumped 29 places, from position 42 in 2024 to 13th in 2026, making it the most improved county in health.
Garissa was the second-biggest mover, climbing 27 places from 42nd to 15th.
Kericho rose 20 places from 29th to ninth, while Machakos moved from 37th to 19th.
Wajir also recorded an 18-place improvement, rising from 45th to 27th.
The report said Nandi “jumps 29 places”, describing its movement as “the biggest health gain of any county”.
It also noted that Kericho had entered the top 10, while Garissa and Wajir had posted “double-digit gains”.
The CountyTrak survey was conducted between January and May 2026 across all 47 counties, 290 constituencies and 1,450 wards, involving 36,200 respondents.
Infotrak said the index provides “robust statistics by ward on the perception of county residents” on county governments’ performance of devolved functions.
The study used computer-assisted telephone interviews, with responses rated on a scale of one to 10 and analysed using SPSS.
