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.