Why Running Kenya Is Difficult - President Ruto

President William Ruto admits that running Kenya is not a walk in the park.

The president acknowledged grappling with daily challenges of some Kenyans working hard to reverse his agenda.

While speaking to teacher on Saturday, September 13, at State House Nairobi, the head of state referenced the challenges in the health sector where fraudulent Kenyans try to undermine the new health insurance scheme in the Social Health Authority (SHA).

He restated that SHA was established to enhance Universal Health Care (UHC), stating that the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) had loopholes for fraud.

According to Ruto, the government has to deal with fraudulent individuals who want to cheat the system to steal public monies through fake claims.

"We are going to get rid of frauds who are stealing from us. Just imagine a hospital faking ten surgeries on one patient. They were filling forms for fake claims. When we were closing NHIF, it had Ksh 32 billion worth of debt from claims. But the frauds went to court to stop verification. We have now enhanced digital admission and discharge, and were now moving to biometrics. Using IDs is not enough. Some take deceased people's IDs to process fake claims. Running Kenya is difficult. Because people are too intelligent. But we will deal with fake claims and fraud," he said.

Despite such challenges, the president vowed to advance the war on cartels fleecing the health sector.

Ruto said those uncomfortable with SHA were beneficiaries of the defunct NHIF that he asserted had loopholes for fraud.

At the same time, Ruto promised teachers of a unique health insurance scheme.

The president admitted disharmony in the schemes patronised by teachers and other civil servants.

Meanwhile, the president promised to push for the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) teachers' unions signed with the government.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) reaffirmed its dedication to promoting the well-being of educators across all ranks, emphasizing that the newly signed CBA would address longstanding concerns that had previously informed strikes.

Under the new arrangement, teachers will benefit from salary adjustments, with those in lower job groups receiving a notable increase of at least 29%.

The agreement also included plans to expand the teaching workforce through new hires.

The CBA also secured pension benefits for teachers dismissed from service, marking a significant win for union negotiators.

The initial phase of implementation began on July 1, with KSh 8.4 billion allocated for salaries and allowances.

Additionally, TSC would contribute over KSh 1.2 billion toward pension schemes and statutory deductions.