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President William Ruto has assured local pharmaceutical manufacturing companies that his government will create a favourable business environment.

This pledge came after he participated in the Local Health Products Manufacturing Expo at KICC in Nairobi and visited Square Pharmaceuticals in the Athi River Economic Processing Zone, Machakos County.

Ruto’s emphasis

In a statement on his X account after the visit, Ruto emphasized that this initiative is a crucial step toward achieving Universal Healthcare coverage.

He further explained that the effort aims to establish a business-friendly atmosphere that not only advances healthcare but also generates employment opportunities.

“To ensure the success of Universal Healthcare Coverage, it is vital to improve access and affordability to health products and technologies. We are committed to creating a conducive business environment for local pharmaceutical manufacturing, which will advance our healthcare agenda and also create jobs,” Ruto said in a statement.

Ruto’s CHP launch

Ruto also recently launched a group of 100,000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs). Each CHP is responsible for 100 households and is equipped with modern medical tools, deployed to communities across the country.

The CHPs are provided with essential equipment such as backpack carrier bags, first aid kits, jackets, weighing scales, infrared clinical thermometers, mid-upper arm circumference (muac) measuring tapes for both pediatric and adult use.

He said the government is dedicating Sh3.5 billion to this program, which focuses on early diagnosis and management of minor health issues at the community level.

Ruto also revealed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would provide training for these workers.