NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 18 — President William Ruto chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted Cabinet at State House Nairobi on Tuesday.
The President told Cabinet members to participate not only in issues related to their ministries but also in matters of national importance.
He also said Cabinet meetings and committees must take precedence over any other engagements.
At the meeting, the Cabinet was informed that progress had been made on the issues that the President had committed to the country when he appointed the Cabinet, including digitisation of public procurement to make it transparent, and digitisation of the government payroll to eliminate incidences of ghost workers.
The President also pledged to ensure an accountable government and a robust fight against corruption.
On these issues, the Cabinet was informed that the digitisation of government procurement has registered positive progress and is expected to be rolled out early next year.
On cleaning up the government payroll through digitisation, the Cabinet was told that the human resource development plan has been developed and discussion on it will begin shortly.
Enhancing accountability
The Cabinet also considered the various Bills aimed at strengthening accountability in government and the fight against corruption, with the Attorney-General taking action to ensure that the necessary amendments are made and taken to Parliament.
The Cabinet was briefed on the roll-out of the Universal Health Coverage, a key government programme aimed at ensuring that all Kenyans have access to fully paid healthcare.
The meeting was informed that UHC will be rolled out on October 1, 2024, and that registration is going on. Already, 1.2 million Kenyans have registered, while nine million members of the National Health Insurance Fund will transition to the new Social Health Authority.
The Ministry of Interior was directed to help in public education on registration and health benefits through the National Government Administration Officers.
On the Hustler Fund, a key government programme on financial inclusion of the people at the bottom of the pyramid, the Cabinet was informed that 250,000 beneficiaries have grown their personal loan limit and are now able to borrow KSh50,000.
In addition, the Cabinet was told that two million people faithfully borrow from the Hustler Fund every day. As a result, the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs plans to graduate them to an SME loan by the end of the year.
The meeting was also informed that 522,000 bags of subsidised fertiliser have been procured and distributed for the short rains season in Central, Eastern and Western Kenya regions.
Additionally, plans are in place to ensure that fertiliser will also be available on time for the long rains season next year.
The Cabinet was also briefed on various programmes and events:
The Establishment of the Kenya Watershed Services Improvement Programme
National Wildlife Census
United Nations World Tourism Week
Mpox Disease Outbreak
Source: capitalfm
