The government will begin paying Social Health Authority (SHA) contributions for Kenyans who cannot afford, President William Ruto has announced.
The President said the initiative follows the completion of a successful identification process. He noted that this step will ensure no one is left out of the universal health coverage plan.
He pointed out that those who have the ability to pay are contributing 2.75 per cent of their income, making the scheme equitable. Consequently, the government has been collecting enough funds to cater for those who cannot afford.
“The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) was discriminatory. Mama Mboga used to pay Ksh.500, the equivalent of 10 per cent of their income. I used to pay Ksh.1,700, which was equivalent to 0.01 per cent of my salary. This was unjust,” he said.
The President said SHA has so far registered 25.8 million Kenyans compared with the defunct NHIF, which had seven million members.
Saying SHA is serving all Kenyans who have registered, the President explained that outpatient services at dispensaries, health centres and sub-county hospitals are free.
The President also announced that the NYOTA business support programme will benefit 70 young small business owners in each of the country's 1,450 wards, a total number of 100,000 country.
“This programme will be launched on September 18, 2025. Young people should dial *254# to register,” he said.
On the economy, President Ruto maintained that Kenya is on a sound footing and capable of supporting priority development programmes.
He said the stabilisation measures he introduced upon assuming office in 2022 are now bearing fruit, with Kenya rising from the eighth-largest economy in Africa to the sixth.
The President explained that the government reduced borrowing and expenditure and began repaying its $2 billion Eurobond debt that had placed the country at the risk of default.
The measures, he said, have yielded results. Inflation has declined from 9.6 per cent to 4 per cent, while the shilling has strengthened from Ksh.167 to the dollar and stabilised at Ksh.129.
Foreign exchange reserves at the Central Bank have risen to Ksh.1.5 trillion ($11.8 billion) more than five months of import cover - from $5.7 billion (Ksh.738 billion).
“The economy of Kenya in 2022 is very different from the economy in 2025,” he said. "That is why you see our fortunes are turning around. We now have funds for road construction, a total of Ksh.170 billion, and contractors are back on site,” he added.
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