Ruto's UHC promise: Big reforms, unfinished business

President William Ruto during the official opening of the Kenya Health Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi, August 18,2026. [PCS]

Universal Health Coverage was one of the flagship promises of President William Ruto’s administration, built around the pledge that no Kenyan should be denied quality healthcare because of an inability to pay.

Four years into the Kenya Kwanza administration, however, the country remains some distance from that goal, with experts and health sector players questioning whether the ongoing reforms can deliver meaningful universal access before the next General Election.