Ruto: SHA and UHC must work
By Faith Lagat, September 13, 2025President William Ruto has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to making the Social Health Authority (SHA) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) successful, stressing that health is a constitutional right for all Kenyans.
Speaking at the Walimu Na Rais Forum at State House on September 13, 2025, Ruto said, “We are determined. SHA and UHC must work because the constitution of Kenya says health is a constitutional right of every citizen; it is not a privilege for those who have money or those who can afford it.”
He added, “This time round I said, ‘Whatever it takes, niitwe Zakayo niitwe nani, ni sawa lakini this UHC SHA thing we must do it.’”
Progress and challenges of UHC
Ruto acknowledged past difficulties in implementing UHC but highlighted ongoing efforts.
“UHC under SHA was initially at ‘it is not working, and then it came to ‘it is working, but’ so we are moving; we are going to remove the buts,” he said.
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He noted that UHC has long been part of government agendas across different administrations, including NARC, Grand Coalition, Jubilee, Kenya Kwanza, and Azimio.
“We decided to have a paradigm shift in matters of health, and this did not begin last year. UHC was in the NARC manifesto; Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o, who was minister of health, tried but did not succeed.”
“UHC was in the Grand Coalition; Charity Ngilu tried, but we did not succeed. UHC was in the Jubilee manifesto; it was among the Big 4. Our minister, then, Cicily Mbarire, tried, but we did not succeed. Strangely, in the last election, UHC was in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto, and it was also in the Azimio manifesto,” he explained.
Anti-corruption measures
The President expressed optimism about SHA’s progress, stating, “I can now proudly tell you that SHA is working. You have heard testimonies from the citizens who are telling you that SHA paid for me an amount – something that we used not to hear before – and it is just one year; in fact, it will be a full year by October.”
He also vowed to tackle corruption, saying, “We are going to get rid of crooks wale matapeli wenye wanatuibia pesa za wagonjwa.”
Ruto further explained that SHA now channels funds directly to health facilities, bypassing counties.
“We don’t send money directly to the county. We send money directly to the dispensaries,” he said.
He added that facilities can now manage procurement independently, and additional funds have been allocated to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) to address drug shortages.
Leadership
On September 12, 2025, SHA appointed four new directors—Diana Marion, Golda Larissa Akolo, Mohamed Alio Ibrahim, and Jonathan Leisen—to strengthen its leadership.
SHA Board Chairperson Abdi Mohamed confirmed that the appointments followed a transparent recruitment process.
However, the Rural Private Hospitals Association of Kenya highlighted ongoing financial challenges, urging the government to clear a Ksh33 billion NHIF debt and a Ksh43 billion SHA claims backlog to ensure stable healthcare delivery.