President William Ruto during the presidential town hall at the KICC in Nairobi on August 18, 2026. [PCS]
The 2026 Health Summit provided a platform for Kenyans, health workers and experts to assess the progress and gaps in the country’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with calls for the government to turn reforms into tangible improvements in healthcare delivery.
The summit was met with both praise and criticism, but experts said it was an important starting point for confronting longstanding challenges in the health sector.
The summit brought together policymakers, development partners, health workers and other stakeholders, including the United Nations and Amref Health Africa, to review reforms and identify areas requiring urgent action.
At the Town Hall that culminated the summit, President William Ruto gave a scorecard of his 2022 health manifesto, saying his administration had delivered on most of the commitments it made to Kenyans.
The manifesto contained eight major commitments on health, including establishing a health insurance system that would enable every Kenyan to access quality healthcare.
That commitment evolved into the Social Health Authority (SHA), which replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).