One of President William Ruto’s biggest promises when he campaigned for the presidency in 2022 was to transform Kenya’s healthcare system and protect families from the financial burden of illness.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

At the time, Ruto said Kenyans spent about Ksh150 billion annually on out-of-pocket healthcare costs, forcing families to rely on harambees, loans and the sale of assets to settle medical bills.

“Most families and individuals in Kenya are one illness away from poverty,” Ruto said in October 2022.

He promised to change that through a new universal healthcare system.

📌 What You Need to Know

Four years later, NHIF has been replaced by the Social Health Authority (SHA), more than 32 million Kenyans are registered, and billions of shillings have been channelled into healthcare.

But has the new system delivered the financial protection Ruto promised?

Once Kenya Kwanza took over from Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime, the new government undertook a major overhaul of Kenya’s health financing system.

NHIF was replaced by SHA in October 2024, while Parliament passed laws establishing the framework for social health insurance, primary healthcare, digital health and facility financing.

By August 2026, 32.3 million Kenyans had registered with SHA, according to the government. That is almost twice NHIF’s peak membership of 16.9 million.

However, registration has not necessarily translated into active coverage.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke