In Ruto’s view, health coverage had not worked for many years, denying Kenyans adequate medical coverage.
President William Ruto on Monday, December 2 affirmed his push for the Social Health Authority (SHA), hours after his former Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, criticised the government’s dysfunctional transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Speaking in Taita Taveta County, the Head of State scoffed at Gachagua’s remarks that the process was rushed, stating that the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme was not a foreign thing to members of the public.
In Ruto’s view, health coverage had not worked for many years, denying Kenyans adequate medical coverage. Hence, Ruto believed in the need to have a programme that would ensure that all Kenyans are guaranteed access to affordable healthcare.
“I hear some people saying that I have rushed Universal Health Coverage. This UHC was in Kibaki’s government, the government of my friend Uhuru Kenyatta,” he remarked.
A photo of the Social Health Authority (SHA) headquarters in Nairobi. /SOCIAL HEALTH AUTHORITY
“Now, something that has been in government for almost twenty years, has it been delayed or not? It has been delayed, isn’t it? So, let’s push forward for citizens to access healthcare.”
The new public healthcare system, which President Ruto recently renamed ‘Taifa Care’, has been heavily criticised for its meagre benefits as well as cries from Kenyans unable to access healthcare under it since the transition began in early October. This is despite him and senior government officials like his health cabinet secretary, Deborah Barasa, defending it and calling for patience from Kenyans.
In an interview with NTV on Sunday, December 1, Gachagua, who was in October thrown out of Ruto’s government through an impeachment motion, claimed that the SHA roll-out was “hurried,” arguing that “there was no sufficient reason to move hastily from NHIF.”
“Looking at the mathematics surrounding that program, I found that it would have cost us between Ksh700 million and Ksh800 million to upgrade the system that was running NHIF and make it compliant,” the former DP said, citing unnamed experts, adding “Yet we are moving to a new program costing Ksh104 billion!”
Gachagua, called it “pure theft of public funds”, adding “My very honest view is that that is the crux of the matter; it is what the rush is about. The focus is the Ksh104 billion.”
The former deputy president criticised Ruto’s administration for what he described as coercing and blackmailing Kenyans into registering for the new public healthcare scheme despite negative public sentiment about it.
“As an elected leader, you cannot dismiss what the people feel and think about a system… patients are going through hell…you cannot decide you will do what you have set to do as Kenyans complain,” Gachagua told the television station.
“If something is good, it is people who should be rushing to register… if it reaches a place you have to intimidate and blackmail people that unless you register for this program, your child will not be registered into school, there is a problem.”
He maintained that he was not involved in any stage of the health program’s conceptualisation and roll-out, and alleged that some members of President Ruto’s economic advisory council have spouses involved in SHA.
“There is clearly a conflict of interest, the whole thing is not straight,” said Gachagua, without giving names.
SHA was officially rolled out on October 1, 2024. Over 14 million Kenyans have since registered for the new health cover.
