Ruto confirms free emergency treatment for accident victims for the first 24 hours
By Sharon Atieno, June 21, 2026President William Ruto has announced that all Kenyans involved in accidents will now receive free emergency treatment for the first 24 hours under the Social Health Authority (SHA), regardless of whether they are registered under the national health scheme, in what the government says is a major step toward strengthening universal health coverage.
Speaking on Sunday, June 21, 2026, during the 95th St John Ambulance Annual Parade and Inspection at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said the government had established an Emergency Critical Care Fund under SHA to address the growing number of deaths occurring within the first few minutes after accidents and delayed emergency medical response.
Free treatment for all accident victims
The President said many Kenyans continue losing their lives because emergency help often comes too late or hospitals delay treatment immediately after victims arrive.
“Under universal health coverage in SHA, we have established the emergency critical care fund and henceforth every accident victim when they arrive in hospital, the first 24 hours is paid for by SHA for everybody, those who are registered or those who are not registered,” Ruto said.
The announcement signals a major shift in emergency healthcare access, with the government moving to guarantee immediate medical attention without financial barriers during the critical first hours after accidents.
Over 5,000 road deaths recorded
Ruto revealed that more than 5,000 Kenyans lost their lives on roads last year alone, with thousands more left nursing life-changing injuries that could have been prevented through faster intervention.
“Last year, more than 5,000 Kenyans lost their lives on our roads. Thousands more suffered injuries that altered their lives forever,” he stated.
The President added that many of the victims could have survived had trained responders arrived within the first few critical minutes.
Thousands dying in crucial first minutes
The Head of State said many accident victims die within the first few minutes after crashes because of delayed evacuation or failure to receive immediate medical attention upon arriving at hospitals.
“And to sort out that problem which was giving us a very serious outcome with many deaths, people die the first few minutes after an accident or when they get to hospital and they are not attended immediately,” Ruto said.
He noted that emergency response remains one of the weakest links in Kenya’s healthcare system despite the growing number of road accidents reported annually.
Government increases health funding
Ruto further revealed that the government had increased health sector funding in the upcoming budget to ensure the programme remains fully operational across the country.
According to the President, additional allocations have been made to strengthen healthcare financing and sustain the emergency treatment programme.
“It is the reason why in the budget and the Finance Bill that I’m going to sign on Tuesday, we have enhanced the resources from Ksh13 billion to Ksh18 billion to make sure we cover every commitment we have made to Kenyans,” he stated.
More ambulances to support emergency care
The Head of State also directed the Ministry of Health to purchase 15 additional ambulances for St John Ambulance Kenya, with all emergency services offered through the ambulances set to be covered under SHA.
Ruto said the government remains committed to strengthening Kenya’s emergency response system, saying no Kenyan should lose their life simply because help failed to arrive on time.