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Purpose: This paper aims to present a literature review of the health workforce, hospital and clinic systems, infrastructure, primary care, regulatory climate, the pharmaceutical industry and community health behavior of the Kenyan health-care system with the purpose of providing a thorough background on the health-care environment in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted using Pub Med, searching for "Kenya" in the title of articles published from January 1, 2015 to February 24, 2016; this provided a broad overview of the type of research being conducted in Kenya. Other data provided by governmental agencies and non-governmental agencies was also reviewed to describe the current state of population health in Kenya. Findings: An initial review of 615 Pubmed articles included 455 relevant articles. A complete review of these studies was conducted, resulting in a final sample of 389 articles. These articles were categorized into three main subject areas with 14 secondary subject areas (Figure 1). Research limitations/implications: The narrow scope of the search parameters set for the systematic review was a necessary limitation to focus on the most relevant literature. The findings of this study provide a thorough background on health care in Kenya to researchers and practitioners. Originality/value: This compilation of data specific to Kenya provides a detailed summary of both the country's health-care services and health status, focusing on potential means of realizing increased quality and length of life.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to provide a general review of the health-care needs in Kenya which focuses on the role of community engagement in facilitating access and diminishing barriers to quality care services. Health-care concerns throughout Kenya and the culture of Kenyan's health-care practices care are considered. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive review covered studies of community engagement from 2000 till present. Studies are collected using Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCOhost and JSTOR and from government and nongovernment agency websites. The approach focuses on why various populations seek health care and how they seek health care, and on some current health-care delivery models. Findings: Suggestions for community engagement, including defining the community, are proposed. A model for improved health-care delivery introduces community health workers (CHWs), mHealth technologies and the use of mobile clinics to engage the community and improve health and quality of care in low-income settings. Practical implications: The results emphasize the importance of community engagement in building a sustainable health-care delivery model. This model highlights the importance of defining the community, setting goals for the community and integrating CHWs and mobile clinics to improve health status and decrease long-term health-care costs. The implementation of these strategies contributes to an environment that promotes health and wellness for all. Originality/value: This paper evaluates health-care quality and access issues in Kenya and provides sustainable solutions that are linked to effective community engagement. In addition, this paper adds to the limited number of studies that explore health-care quality and access alongside community engagement in low-income settings.

Purpose: This paper aims to critically analyze the empirical literature on health and human development in high-, middle- and low-income countries to develop a sustainable model for investing in human health. The model is critical in building a comprehensive health-care system that fosters the stakeholders' financial stability, economic growth and high-quality education for the local community. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive literature review was carried out on health, human development and sustainable health investment. After thoroughly examining theoretical frameworks underlying the strategies of successful human health systems, a summary of empirical articles is created. Summaries provided in this paper represent relevant health-care strategies for Kenya. Findings: Based on the empirical review of literature, a Nexus Health Care model focusing on human development, social and cultural development, economic development and environmental development in high-, middle- and low-income countries is proposed. The goal of this model is to enhance sustainable development where wealth creation is accompanied with environmental uplifting and protection of social and material well-being. Research limitations/implications: This paper is limited to a comprehensive literature review presenting empirical evidence of human development and sustainability. Originality/value: Kenya like other developing nations aspires to contribute significantly in improving health through development of health products but the approaches used have been limiting. In most cases, the use of Western theories, lack of empowering the community and dependence on donor support have hindered the country from achieving comprehensive health and human development. This papers seeks to develop a model for health-care investment and provide strategies, operations and structure of successful health systems and human development for a developing country, such as Kenya.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present proposed solutions and interventions to some of the major barriers to providing adequate access to healthcare in Kenya. Specific business models are proposed to improve access to quality healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. Finally, strategies are developed for the retail clinic concept (RCC). Design/methodology/approach: Google Scholar, PubMed and EBSCOhost were among the databases used to collect articles relevant to the purpose in Kenya. Various governmental and news articles were collected from Google searches. Relevant business models from other sectors were considered for potential application to healthcare and the retail clinic concept. Findings: After a review of current methodologies and approaches to business and franchising models in various settings, the most relevant models are proposed as solutions to improving quality healthcare in Kenya through the RCC. For example, authors reviewed physician recruitment strategies, insurance plans and community engagement. The paper is informed by existing literature and reports as well as key informants. Research limitations/implications: This paper lacks primary data collection within Kenya and is limited to a brief scoping review of literature. The findings provide effective strategies for various business and franchising models in healthcare. Originality/value: The assembling of relevant information specific to Kenya and potential business models provides effective means of improving health delivery through business and franchising, focusing on innovative approaches and models that have proven effective in other settings.