Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has praised President William Ruto's healthcare reforms, saying the transformation of the health sector could become one of his most enduring legacies.
Speaking during the National Health Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Tuesday, Sakaja said the reforms were giving effect to the constitutional right to healthcare.
The governor said the right to healthcare could not be realised without deliberate government action through planning, legislation and investment.
"What you're doing, Your Excellency, I believe this will be one of your most enduring legacies: the transformation of healthcare in our country. The right to health will not fulfil itself. It has to be designed. It has to be planned. It has to be thought out. It has to be legislated," he said.
Sakaja also praised Ruto as a leader he said had gone a long way in fulfilling the Constitution through his administration's actions.
He said the Social Health Authority (SHA) was helping make healthcare accessible beyond Kenyans who could afford medical treatment.
"I can say, if there has been a leader who has fulfilled the Constitution, it is William Samoei Ruto, by these actions that you're taking. This is what Katiba is. Giving that right to every Kenyan, that health is no longer a privilege for the few. It's not a privilege for those who have money," Sakaja said.
The governor said healthcare costs had previously forced some families to sell livestock and investments when a member fell ill.
Sakaja cited developments in Nairobi's health sector, saying more than 3 million city residents are registered with SHA more than one million actively making monthly contributions.
He said the county has also expanded its primary healthcare network, with 7,820 Community Health Promoters serving about 78,000 households.
Sakaja cited increased funding to health facilities, saying some facilities that previously received about Sh100,000 annually were now receiving up to Sh4 million a month.
The National Health Summit is being held under the theme "Reform Delivered, Health as a Right", with stakeholders reviewing the government's health reforms and their impact on healthcare access.
President William Ruto defended the government’s digitisation of health services, dismissing criticism of the programme and saying it is central to making Universal Health Coverage a reality.
Ruto said digitisation was not merely about replacing paper records with electronic systems, but about improving accountability across the health sector.
“Digitisation is not simply replacing paper with screens. It is about making every patient visible, every payment accountable and every treatment traceable,” Ruto said.
The President said the government had put in place a legal and institutional framework, as well as the digital architecture required to support Universal Health Coverage.
He also credited Kenyans for contributing to the transformation of the health financing system, saying changes to the contribution structure were necessary to support the new system.
Ruto thanked governors and county governments for partnering with the national government in implementing UHC, saying their participation had been critical to the process.
