Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki now says that he is confident Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will succeed under President William Ruto’s leadership.
Speaking during a collaborative meeting on UHC between Interior and Health ministries, Kindiki said that while previous administrations tried and failed to implement UHC, Ruto's administration has taken critical steps to ensure its success.
He said the President through various teams did background work over the last two years and he has no doubt in the success of the programme.
“I am persuaded, going by the thorough background work done by the President, his economic advisors and the Ministry of Health for the past two years, beyond doubt that this time round the country has got this matter right,” the CS said.
“The previous two administrations have struggled to implement UHC but unfortunately because of other reasons, it was not possible. The late third President Mwai Kibaki, Charity Ngilu was CS, had an attempt at UHC, but it was not possible mainly because of resistance and misunderstanding. The immediate former President Uhuru Kenyatta had a go at this and again it did not pick up.”
Present at the meeting were Health CS Deborah Barasa, senior staff from the ministry and senior NGAO officials.
Kindiki noted that besides preparatory works, the relevant laws to facilitate the programme have also been passed.
He insisted that this is unlike in the past where there were no laws to guide the rollout of UHC.
“The Primary Healthcare Act, the Social Health Act, and Health Data Act and therefore the legal framework which now anchors this program is in place unlike in the past when the legal framework was not supportive of past initiatives,” Kindiki said.
The Interior CS stated that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is one of the five key pillars of the Kenya Kwanza Administration, and he is proud that his ministry is associated with national efforts to see its success.
“The National Government Administration officers and the National Government Administration System exists to support government agenda in the grassroots across all functions of government and that is why under Executive Order No. 1 of 2023 the role of coordination of government is vested on us through NGAO team.”
NGAO officers will be part of the team that will drive the UHC registration drive that targets at least 12 million Kenyans, in an initiative launched on Wednesday.