NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 16 – President William Ruto now says his administration flagship projects are a mere continuation of Former President Uhuru Kenyatta legacy when he left office in August 2022.
President Ruto who shared a podium with the Former President in Embu during the installation of the diocese bishop Peter Kimani, highlighted the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) which was started in 2017 during the previous regime.
He assured that the government is well prepared for the Grade 9 transition in January next year following the employment of 46,000 for the Junior Secondary School and the promotion of 20,000 teachers.
“The work that you left me, I am really working hard to deliver it. I am pushing and on the CBC curriculum which was started in 2017,next year we are transitioning to Grade 9 and we have bought books in the ratio of 1;1.The MPs are constructing 5,000 classes and the government is constructing 11,000 classroom,” President Ruto noted.
The Head of State acknowledged that he took up the implementation of the Affordable Housing Program that has been courted with criticism from the Jubilee administration where he served as a Deputy President.
“I am really pushing the Affordable Housing program, even here in Embu already we have done 80 percent of the way. We are constructing 160,000 houses in different places in the country,” the President said.
President Ruto acknowledged criticism on the roll of Social Health Insurance Fund days after KCCB criticised the government for what it called a “culture of lies,” asserting that the failure to pay outstanding NHIF dues to faith-based health facilities has severely impacted vulnerable communities.
The bishops pointed out that several faith-based hospitals, particularly those run by the Catholic Church, were owed substantial amounts in unpaid claims.
“When I leave here,I will visit hospitals in Embu because I want to ensure that what we agreed with the people that access to health will not be a preserve of the rich but a right to every Kenyan in the republic. I want to assure that all the problems will be addressed since UHC is a must do,” President Ruto assured.
The Social Health Authority which is now responsible for managing health insurance claims, has been tasked with reconciling and paying claims from October and November 2024.
Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa has refuted claims made by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) regarding billions of shillings allegedly owed to faith-based hospitals through the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
In a statement on Thursday, Barasa termed the allegations “misleading, erroneous, and false,” stressing the government’s commitment to addressing outstanding debts from the defunct NHIF.
The CS insisted that the government is committed to making timely payments for these claims, which fall under the newly established Social Health Insurance Fund.
“The government commends all Kenyans who have registered with the Social Health Authority,” Barasa stated, reiterating that the administration is focused on providing affordable and accessible healthcare.
She also called on all stakeholders, including the Catholic Church, to support the roll-out of the new system.
According to the government, the defunct NHIF had agreements with 8,886 healthcare providers, including public, private, and faith-based institutions, with 312 of these being faith-based organisations.
Source: capitalfm
