President William Ruto speaking at State House, Nairobi, when he met boda boda officials from all subcounties, August 7, 2025. /PCSPresident William Ruto has called on public health facilities not to charge Kenyans registered with SHA for medical services rendered.
The President said any charges beyond what is covered under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) should be claimed from the Social Health Authority (SHA) and not the patient.
“There are facilities in our counties that charge Kenyans for treatment or medicine when actually that service and the medicine is already paid for by the government of Kenya. It is not acceptable! Instead of charging citizens, hospitals should use the claim service to claim for any arrears,” Ruto said.
He was speaking at State House, Nairobi, when he officially launched the National Equipment Service Project, a seven-year strategic initiative aimed at upgrading and modernising medical equipment at both national and county health facilities.
It replaces the Medical Equipment Scheme (MES), which is being phased out.
Ruto lauded the National Equipment Service Project as a game changer in public health service provision compared to the MES, which required significant upfront capital and lacked clear service level agreements, leading to frequent downtimes and compromised care.
“The lessons learned have informed the design of the new programme to be more efficient, accountable, and sustainable,” Ruto said.
He said the new system uses the Fee-for-Service model, and neither the national nor county governments will need to budget for equipment procurement.
“Our private sector partners will bear the cost of installation, servicing, and maintenance, placing no financial burden on public health facilities.”
Ruto said since June 2025, over 60,000 medical services have already been delivered in 29 health facilities across 18 counties under this project.
“Today, we are releasing 14 CT scanners, 2 ultrasound machines, 30 dialysis machines, and digital X-ray systems. In the next two months, we expect to deploy an additional 58 digital X-rays, 65 ultrasound machines, 19 CT scanners, 100 theatre equipment, and 100 laboratory systems, all under this new, innovative model.”
The President revealed that so far, SHA has registered 25.2 million Kenyans and contracted over 11,000 healthcare providers, including hospitals, clinics, and health centres, nationwide.
He said since October 2024, SHA has paid Sh56.4 billion, comprising Sh49.7 billion from the Social Health Insurance Fund and Sh6.7 billion under the Primary Healthcare Fund.
“Every Kenyan registered in SHA should go to any hospital and be treated and given medicine and they should go home without paying anybody anything,” Ruto emphasised.
He said the government will fully cater for those who are not able to pay since health should never be a privilege but a right for every citizen.
“It is our responsibility to make sure that the people are not left behind,” Ruto said.
The President warned those bent on circumventing processes to defraud SHA through fraudulent claims that their days are numbered.
He said the new digital infrastructure is secure and intelligent enough to detect and eliminate fraud.
“If you are trying to game the system, beware: You are already on our radar. The system is flagging such attempts, and investigations are ongoing. In due course, the outcomes will be made clear to all, and the fraudsters shall face the consequences of their criminal actions.”
Ruto urged counties and health sector players to install the equipment saying only through unity, commitment, and vigilance will the full promise of the National Equipment Service Project be achieved.
