President William Ruto has hit out at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for claiming that the government rushed the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA),
Speaking in Taita Taveta County on Monday, December 2, the Head of State expressed that the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme was not new in Kenya.
He added that health coverage had not worked for many years, denying Kenyans adequate medical coverage.
Therefore, Ruto opined that there was a need to have a programme that would ensure that all Kenyans are guaranteed access to affordable healthcare.
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"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.
"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."
Ruto's response came a day after Gachagua accused the government of rushing the rollout which he alleged was marred with graft.
The former DP even wondered why the government was spending over Ksh100 billion for a new system instead of improving the one for the National Health Insurance Fund (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,” Gachagua stated during a media interview on Saturday.
“My very honest view is that that is the crux of the matter; it is what the rush is about. The focus is the Ksh.104 billion.”
SHA was officially rolled out on October 1, 2024. Over 14 million Kenyans have registered for the new health cover.
