President William Ruto has taken issue with Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata over the county’s relatively low enrolment in the Social Health Authority (SHA) platform.
Speaking during the Murang’a Investment Forum held on Friday, June 13, the President cited statistics showing a disappointing uptake of the SHA scheme in the county, and announced plans to dispatch a team from SHA and the Ministry of Health to carry out sensitisation campaigns.
“Out of the 1.5 million people in Murang’a, only 283,000 have registered for the Social Health Authority (SHA) scheme,” Ruto revealed.
The statement was initially met with applause from attendees, seemingly unaware of the implications of the figures. Ruto, noting the misplaced reaction, went on to lay bare the reality on the ground.
“You have clapped too soon. Murang’a is number 35 out of 47. You have registered only 27 per cent of Murang’a,” he noted.
“I want to encourage Murang’a. I will be sending the people from SHA and the (Health) Ministry to sensitise the people of Murang’a to work with the county government so that we can bring on board citizens,” Ruto asserted.
Ruto proceeded to issue a rallying call to the attendees over the benefits of SHA, noting it was a scheme that was aimed towards catering for Kenyans from all walks of life.
However, a significant number of Murang’a residents benefit from Kang’ata Care, a social health initiative spearheaded by Governor Irungu Kang’ata. The scheme operates similarly to the SHA platform, aiming to deliver universal health coverage to vulnerable and low-income households within the county.
As of 2025, reports indicated that the programme was supporting approximately 40,000 households. Beneficiaries are selected through a comprehensive profiling and vetting process led by the county administration. This process often involves community health workers, chiefs, religious leaders, and medical officers to ensure that support reaches those most in need.
Although independently initiated, Kang’ata Care works in collaboration with the SHA, with the county government paying beneficiaries’ premiums quarterly in advance to guarantee uninterrupted coverage.
Meanwhile, Ruto’s message came just a week after he had ordered all governors to register all public health facilities under SHA.
Ruto, who spoke when he met the county chiefs on Thursday, June 5, said the move would be critical in ensuring the facilities get timely government reimbursements under the medical scheme.
The President said governors should issue directives and lay out Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to their County Executive Committee members (CECs) and County Chief Officers to ensure that they facilitate the registration of these health facilities.
According to the president, the unregistered facilities have played a key role in denying people quality healthcare under the medical scheme.
