FULL SPEECH: President Ruto's speech at the Kenya Health Summit 2026 at KICC, Nairobi City.

President Ruto addressed the Kenya Health Summit, framing universal health coverage (UHC) as a constitutional promise under Article 43 of the 2013 Constitution, which he has championed since 2022. He noted that in 2022, only one in four Kenyans had insurance, and Kenyans spent 150 billion shillings out-of-pocket annually. Ruto highlighted reforms including the 2023 laws that replaced NHIF with SHA, Taifa Care, and community health promoters. He cited achievements: 107,800 community health promoters, 9 million households reached, 32.3 million Kenyans registered with SHA, and 8 million treated. He detailed case studies, including Christine Awuor Onyango, whose 250,000 shilling cancer bill was covered by SHA despite her 7,000 shilling contribution. He covered the SHA 922 emergency lifeline, Facility Improvement Financing, KEMSA's improved fill rate to 91%, and digital health reforms to curb fraud. He called for continued improvement and tied UHC to the National Development Charter.

Key takeaways

1. Kenya's UHC program, Taifa Care, has registered 32.3 million Kenyans with SHA, and 8 million have received treatment.
2. KEMSA's order fill rate improved from roughly 40% to 91%, with a target of 100%.
3. The government has sponsored nearly 560,000 vulnerable households, covering approximately 2.2 million Kenyans under SHA.
4. The SHA 922 lifeline and national ambulance dispatch center provide free emergency care, covering evacuation and the first 24 hours of stabilization.
5. Digital health reforms are curbing fraud, including claims for fictitious patients and repeated leg amputations.

Numbers and commitments

Chapters

1. 0:00Constitutional promise of UHC
2. 4:42Laws creating universal health coverage
3. 7:32Community health promoters and outreach
4. 10:10Primary Health Care Fund achievements
5. 12:23Social Health Insurance Fund coverage
6. 14:32Case studies of SHA beneficiaries
7. 17:39Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund
8. 20:19Facility improvement and KEMSA performance
9. 21:58Digital health and fraud prevention
10. 24:46Partnerships and future vision beyond 2030