President William Ruto has strongly defended the government Social Health Authority, dismissing critics as misguided and unable to grasp the scale of ongoing healthcare reforms.
Speaking during a meeting with members of Maendeleo ya Wanawake, Ruto said opposition to the new national health insurance scheme is largely driven by politics rather than facts. He maintained that the programme is already transforming access to healthcare across the country.
He described the reforms as central to the administration plan to achieve universal health coverage, noting that millions of Kenyans are already benefiting.
“Those saying the programme is not working have not even registered. Others are politicians driven by politics, not facts,” he said.
Ruto emphasised that the changes are aimed at protecting households from catastrophic medical expenses, a longstanding challenge in Kenya healthcare system. He reiterated the government commitment to ensuring that no Kenyan is forced to sell property to pay hospital bills.
Ruto hits back at critics
The President also took aim at critics, including his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, who had predicted the collapse of the programme within months.
He dismissed such claims as baseless and accused a section of leaders of spreading misinformation to undermine public confidence in the initiative.
Ruto compared the resistance to past opposition to major national projects that later succeeded, arguing that skepticism often accompanies large-scale reforms.
He said more than 30 million Kenyans have registered under the programme within its first year, marking a significant shift from the previous system.
The President added that the government has already disbursed KSh121 billion to healthcare facilities, describing it as the highest amount ever allocated to hospitals in the country history.
He pointed to cases of patients receiving substantial financial support for treatment, saying the programme is already making a difference at the grassroots.
Ruto urged Kenyans to register and ignore what he termed politically driven narratives, insisting the reforms remain on course to deliver equitable healthcare access nationwide.
