President William Ruto has dismissed claims by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua that the government rushed the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking in Taita Taveta County on Monday, December 2, Ruto defended the initiative, emphasizing that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) was not a new concept in Kenya. He argued that the delay in achieving comprehensive health coverage had left many Kenyans without adequate access to medical care.
“This UHC programme has been in government for almost twenty years,” Ruto remarked. “It started during Kibaki’s tenure and continued under my friend Uhuru Kenyatta. So, something that has been in government for this long—has it been rushed or delayed? It has been delayed, hasn’t it? Let’s move forward to ensure citizens can access healthcare.”
Ruto’s remarks came a day after Gachagua criticized the SHA rollout, accusing the government of overspending and alleged graft.
Gachagua questioned the allocation of over Ksh100 billion for the new system instead of upgrading the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
“Looking at the mathematics surrounding that program, I found that it would have cost us between Ksh700 million and Ksh800 million to upgrade the NHIF system and make it compliant,” Gachagua claimed during a media interview on Saturday.
“My very honest view is that this is the crux of the matter—the focus is the Ksh104 billion. That’s where the rush is.”
SHA, officially launched on October 1, 2024, has already registered over 14 million Kenyans. The programme is part of the government’s efforts to provide affordable healthcare to all citizens.
