President William Ruto has affirmed Kenya’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), describing the newly established Social Health Authority (SHA) as the driving force behind the nation’s health reforms.
Speaking during his state address on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, President Ruto revealed that over 27 million Kenyans are now registered, with daily enrollments exceeding 30,000.
“The Health Authority is now the engine of universal health coverage. More than 27 million Kenyans have registered with daily enrollment exceeding 30,000,” he said.
President Ruto explained that SHA brings together several critical components of the health ecosystem, including the Primary Health Care Fund, the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund, and the Contributory Social Health Insurance Fund.
“SHAR brings together the Primary Health Care Fund, Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund and the Contributory Social Health Insurance Fund, including what we have brought together under the health ecosystem, including one piece of legislation that we are still waiting for passage in Parliament,” he noted.
In terms of funding, the President highlighted government allocations for the current financial year: Ksh 13 billion to the Primary Health Fund and Ksh 8 billion to the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund, supplemented by county revenues and other sources.
“In the current financial year, we have allocated 13 billion shillings to the Primary Health Fund and 8 billion shillings to the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund, supplemented by county revenues and other sources,” he said.
He also emphasized efforts to improve access to safe and affordable medical products through reforms at the Kenya Medical Supply Authority (KEMSA), now repositioned as the National Procurement, Warehousing and Distribution Agency.
“We have allocated 1.5 billion shillings to capitalise KEMSA and established a Kenya shillings 10 billion line of credit, targeting a 90% order fill rate and reliable availability of essential medicines and commodities nationwide by the end of this year,” President Ruto explained.
The President praised county governments and highlighted the role of legislation in solidifying reforms:
“To solidify reforms, we enacted four transformative pieces of legislation and I am very proud that this is giving us a very sound footing on how to deliver universal health. I am confident that they will continue in that spirit as the quality of care and patient safety bill is now under consideration in Parliament.”
President Ruto emphasized that primary health services in all SHA-accredited facilities, including public, private, and faith-based institutions, are now funded by the Government of Kenya, underscoring strong partnerships, especially with the World Health Organization (WHO), as critical to the country’s health agenda.
“With strong partnerships, especially with WHO, Kenya is firmly on the path to achieving universal health coverage. Professor Janabi, once again, and your team at WHO, I thank you for your partnership and steadfast commitment to health of not just Kenya, but also our region,” he said.
President Ruto concluded that with SHA at the helm, Universal Health Coverage is now a reality for more Kenyans than ever, signaling a new era of accessible, quality healthcare across the country.
