The government will begin paying Social Health Authority (SHA) contributions for vulnerable Kenyans who cannot afford, President William Ruto has announced.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during a meeting with grassroots leaders from Meru County, Ruto said the move follows a successful identification process aimed at ensuring no one is excluded from universal health coverage.
The President explained that under the new system, those with the ability to pay contribute 2.75 percent of their income, making the scheme equitable. “The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) was discriminatory. Mama Mboga paid Ksh.500, about 10 percent of her income, while I paid Ksh.1,700, which was 0.01 percent of my salary. This was unjust,” he said.
Ruto noted that SHA has already registered 25.8 million Kenyans, compared to seven million under NHIF, with outpatient services at dispensaries, health centres, and sub-county hospitals now free.
The Head of State also unveiled the NYOTA business support programme, which will benefit 70 young entrepreneurs in each of the 1,450 wards nationwide, totaling 100,000 beneficiaries. Registration begins via *254#, with the official launch set for September 18, 2025.
On the economy, Ruto highlighted key gains since 2022, saying Kenya has risen from Africa’s eighth-largest economy to the sixth. He cited reduced borrowing, repayment of the $2 billion Eurobond, and improved foreign reserves, now at $11.8 billion, covering more than five months of imports. Inflation, he said, had dropped to 4 percent, while the shilling strengthened to Ksh.129 against the dollar.
The President pointed to increased savings under the National Social Security Fund, reforms in agriculture, the hiring of 76,000 teachers, and job creation through affordable housing, ICT hubs, and the Hustler Fund, which has disbursed Ksh.75 billion.
In Meru, Ruto announced a new miraa market in Djibouti, Ksh.7 billion for the Nithi Bridge, and Ksh.2.5 billion for Meru Town road upgrades ahead of its planned city status.
“I was not elected to be popular; I was elected to transform Kenya,” Ruto affirmed.
