President William Ruto has declared that Kenya has crossed a historic threshold in the pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with 32.3 million Kenyans registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying the focus must now shift from establishing UHC to ensuring it delivers quality and affordable healthcare to every patient.
“The question before us has changed. No longer whether Kenya should pursue universal health coverage. We have crossed that Rubicon. But how do we make it work even better for every patient, at every facility, and in every county?” Ruto posited.
The president spoke on Tuesday during the opening of the Kenya Health Summit 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, where national and county governments, health workers, development partners, private-sector players, and other stakeholders are assessing the progress of health reforms.
The two-day summit, running from August 18 to 19, is being held under the theme ‘Reform Delivered. Health as a Right.’
President Ruto said UHC was one of the five pillars of his administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, noting that economic empowerment could not be meaningful if illness continued to wipe out household savings and push families into poverty.
He noted that the reforms were anchored in four laws signed in October 2023—the Primary Health Care Act, Social Health Insurance Act, Digital Health Act, and Facility Improvement Financing Act—which replaced the former NHIF framework and established the legal architecture for Taifa Care.
Further, the President announced that 107,800 community health promoters (CHPs) had been deployed nationwide, reaching more than nine million households and referring over 750,000 people for treatment.
Through the Primary Health Care Fund, he disclosed that the government has allocated Sh27.4 billion and disbursed Sh23.3 billion to support more than 20 million outpatient visits, benefiting over 15 million Kenyans.
Ruto added that eight million Kenyans had received treatment through SHA, while more than 1.5 million mothers had been supported to deliver safely and over 500,000 surgical procedures funded.
The government, he said, has also sponsored nearly 560,000 vulnerable households, covering approximately 2.2 million Kenyans.
On emergency healthcare, Ruto highlighted the recently launched SHA-922 Lifeline and National Ambulance Dispatch Center, saying it would enable patients to access emergency assistance without having to raise money or make deposits before treatment.
“Article 43 of our Constitution does not say emergency care is available only to those who can afford it. It says no person shall be denied emergency medical treatment,” he proclaimed.
In his remarks, Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale stated that the reforms had also improved the availability of medicines, medical equipment, and health workers.
Duale reported that the national order fill rate at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) had increased from 35 percent when the administration took office to 95 percent.
He revealed that KEMSA had been recapitalised through a Sh10 billion credit facility and currently supplies more than 11,400 health facilities, with 54 percent of its supplies going to Level 2 and Level 3 primary healthcare facilities.
On medical equipment, Duale said equipment worth Sh9.68 billion had been installed in 251 health facilities across 44 counties as at July 30, 2026.
The equipment includes 36 CT scanners, two MRI machines, 52 digital X-ray machines, and 72 ultrasound machines.
Duale added that the government had deployed 24,573 healthcare interns across all 47 counties over the past four years at a cost of Sh19 billion, while 5,000 additional nurses were being recruited.
On his part, Council of Governors Chair Ahmed Abdullahi mentioned that counties had received Sh46 billion through SHA, of which Sh31.4 billion had been paid to hospitals and Sh14.2 billion reimbursed to primary healthcare facilities.
He said primary care networks had increased from 89 to 277, while counties continued to work with the national Government to strengthen primary healthcare services.
Concurrently, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja highlighted progress in expanding access to primary healthcare in the capital, where 7,820 community health promoters serve about 780,000 households.
In attendance, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya Gary Connell, speaking on behalf of the UN family, observed that the success of the reforms would ultimately be measured by the experience of patients rather than the laws and policies adopted.
“A right written is a promise. A right delivered is a country keeping its word,” Connell established.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, on the other hand, said Parliament had provided the legislative foundation for the reforms, noting that the four major health laws were passed in 2023.
He called for stronger action against fraud, unlawful charges, unequal distribution of health professionals, and wastage of resources, while urging greater emphasis on preventive and promotive healthcare.
Meanwhile, President Ruto acknowledged that challenges remained, including making SHA registration easier, clarifying benefits, speeding up claims, improving digital systems, and ensuring consistent quality of care across the country.
“The ultimate measure of reform is not the laws we pass or the numbers we register, but the experience of every patient in terms of dependable, affordable, and dignified care,” he reiterated.
The president stressed the need for the reforms to transcend political administrations, noting that while governments may change, Kenyans’ constitutional right to healthcare should remain protected.
“Governments will change, but a Kenyan’s right to health cannot change,” Ruto emphasised.
In the meantime, the summit will continue with discussions on health financing, primary healthcare, community health, human resources, health products and technologies, health security, digital health, and specialised referral services as stakeholders seek to consolidate gains and address remaining gaps in the country’s healthcare system.
By Zipporah Odionyi and Nancy Omondi
