Legal Officer at Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF)

About the Role

• KHF is looking to hire a Legal Officer to support KHF’s policy and regulatory work. This position is central to KHF’s legislative advocacy activities, and sits at the intersection of policy, compliance, advocacy, and sector coordination. The legal officer will blend legal interpretation, regulatory navigation, and shaping the policy environment for private sector actors. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to gain practical experience in health law, the legislative process, and policy advocacy in the dynamic landscape of health policy regulation in Kenya. Key functions include the following:

Legal Support for Sector Advocacy

• Monitor regulatory changes and health-related Bills throughout the legislative process (First Reading, Committee Stage/Public Participation, Second Reading, Third Reading, Presidential Assent) in the National Assembly, Senate, and relevant County Assemblies. Also track gazette notices, regulatory amendments, and policy shifts across MOH, SHA, PPB, KMPDC, KMLTTB, etc.
• Draft compliance advisories- issuing KHF circulars that explain what members must do to remain compliant (e.g., licensing changes, contracting requirements with SHA)
• Interpret new health laws and regulations for members- breaking down new laws and regulations into clear guidance for KHF members.
• Keep a current bill tracking log with deadlines for public and stakeholder participation.
• Notify KHF members and committees promptly of any newly introduced, amended, or changed dates/schedules for bills of interest to KHF and its members.

Preparation of Legislative Submissions

• Prepare legal analyses to support KHF’s advocacy positions
• Draft submissions to Parliament and Regulators, including KHF’s memoranda position papers and submissions to Parliament, County Assemblies and regulatory bodies.
•  Make submissions clear, well organized, and easy for the legislative process and technical staff to understand, explain, and act upon (also known as “plain, persuasive language”, translating legal and technical health issues into plain, persuasive language).
• Help create summary briefs, talking points, and presentation materials for committee hearings and stakeholder engagements.

Contracting and Institutional Governance

• Review MoUs, partnership agreements, contracts and sector collaboration frameworks, ensuring KHF’s engagements with partners and other stakeholders are legally sound.
• Support KHF’s internal governance – ensuring compliance with KHF’s constitution, advising on elections, membership and disciplinary procedures.
• Provide support in legal risk management.

Policy Development and Sector Coordination

• Draft policy briefs and position papers on various health sector issues.
• Support multistakeholder convenings, ensuring discussions at various KHF forums, technical working groups, and roundtables are aligned with legal frameworks.
• Advise on regulatory feasibility of proposed reforms.

Review of Health Laws and Regulations

• Carry out research and legal analysis of relevant legislation, regulations and policies that currently regulate the health sector, such as the Health Act, Health Facilities and Services (Complaints) framework, legislation governing the profession and subsidiary legislation.
• Recognize inconsistencies, inadequacies or missing provisions, and help the team to formulate proposals for reform.
• Support in benchmarking the Kenyan health law against regional and international best practice as appropriate.

General Advocacy and Member Support

• To assist KHF in its overall objective to ensure that the health sector is fairly, consistently and effectively governed by law.
• Ensure KHF has a structured way of supporting members
• Participate in stakeholder meetings, public participation forums and committee meetings as necessary, taking notes and preparing summary reports.
• Provide general legal research and administrative support to advocacy and policy work.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from a recognized university.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law (KSL) is an added advantage.
• Excellent legal research and analytical abilities.
• Excellent written skills- samples of writing will be required.
• Understanding of the national and county legislative procedure in Kenya.
• Excellent oral communication skills, presenting complex legal information clearly and concisely.
• Excellent organizational abilities and attention to detail, including the ability to keep track of multiple bills and deadlines.
• Good skills in MS Office (Word, Excel & PowerPoint); Knowledge of legal databases such as Kenya Law is an added advantage.
• Self-directed and team-working skills in a small and fast-moving team.