President William Ruto has announced that the Social Health Authority (SHA) will disburse Sh13 billion to hospitals this week for services offered in March 2026, in what he described as a major step in advancing universal healthcare reforms.
The funds will be drawn from the Primary Health Care Fund, the Social Health Insurance Fund, and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illnesses Fund. The President said the scale of the disbursement reflects significant progress in transforming the country’s health system.
“The money we are paying under SHA in one month is equivalent to the sum that used to be collected in six months under the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF),” he said. “This is the difference we are making.”
Ruto noted that his administration has taken a deliberate approach to restructuring the healthcare sector, pointing out that previous attempts at achieving Universal Health Coverage had stalled.
“Universal Health Coverage was discussed during the Narc administration. We talked about it in the Jubilee administration, which I was part of,” he said. “But three years after we came into office, universal healthcare is becoming a reality.”
He added that the new system has improved efficiency and reduced opportunities for abuse that were common under NHIF.
“SHA has been paying bills promptly. You don’t have to make any telephone calls for your bills to be paid,” President Ruto said. “We have digitised health processes, eliminating manual paperwork.”
The President also acknowledged the role of faith-based organisations, particularly the Africa Gospel Church, in supporting healthcare delivery.
“I want to thank the church for helping us in our objective to make health accessible to all, a right stipulated in Article 43 of the Constitution,” he said.
At the same time, he dismissed critics of the reforms, arguing that some had benefitted from inefficiencies in the previous system.
“The naysayers criticise us because they have lost due to the reforms we have instituted. Some facilities were doing more billing than treating patients under the previous system,” President Ruto said.
On the issue of fuel prices, Ruto defended current costs, attributing them to Kenya’s extensive road network and ongoing infrastructure expansion.
“If you want to compare fuel prices in Kenya with other countries, look at middle income countries. You will realize prices in other middle-income countries are higher than ours,” he said.
He noted that Kenya maintains over 20,000 kilometres of roads and is constructing an additional 6,000 kilometres, with plans to add 28,000 kilometres in the next seven years as part of its economic growth strategy.
The President also addressed recent tax measures, saying they were aimed at cushioning citizens from global shocks.
“We will continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East and take necessary action,” he said, thanking the National Assembly for fast-tracking the VAT bill.
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