Nairobi — President William Ruto has assured Kenyans that the Kenya-United States Health Cooperation Framework will not be used to exploit the country or compromise the interests of its citizens.
The President said the agreement is anchored on firm legal ground and guided by the principles of national security and the public interest, noting that it does not undermine the rights of Kenyans, including those relating to health data.
He said the Office of the Attorney General thoroughly examined the agreement and confirmed that Kenyan law on data protection takes precedence.
"Our goal is crystal clear, our focus is laser sharp, and our resolve is one of steel in ensuring that we centre the interests of the people of Kenya and pursue what is good for our nation," President Ruto said.
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"Nobody and no government will take advantage of the people of Kenya or the government of Kenya as long as I am President."
The Head of State spoke on Wednesday while chairing the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit at State House, Nairobi.
The summit brought together leaders from both levels of government, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretaries and Governors led by Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, who is also the Chair of the Council of Governors.
President Ruto warned against what he termed deliberate misinformation by some agencies that previously benefited from acting as intermediaries in US-funded health programmes.
He said it was the United States Government that made the decision to discontinue funding through third-party organisations under what he described as the "NGO industrial complex."
"If they have a problem with the current structure, they should speak to the Government of the United States because it is the one that decided, for efficiency, that these resources should go directly to the government," he said.
The President told governors that the funds would flow directly to counties to support the healthcare sector, revealing that the US will support Kenya's healthcare system to the tune of more than $1.6 billion (Sh208 billion) over the next five years.
"This is not a loan facility," he emphasised.
He added that Kenya did not become the first country to sign the agreement by accident but by design, with the US recognising the efficiency of Kenyan institutions and the strength of its human capital.
President Ruto also said discussions on a bilateral trade agreement between Kenya and the United States are at an advanced stage, expressing hope that Kenya could become the first African country to conclude such a deal.
"The US is an important market for us. It is among the countries with which we have a near-balanced trade," he said.
At the same time, the President announced that the government has gazetted the transfer of more than 46,000 parcels of land and 8,062 housing units to county governments.
He urged counties to work with the relevant agencies to facilitate the processing of ownership documents as required by law and called for the fast-tracking of an additional 34,000 parcels of land and more than 1,000 housing units pending transfer across 40 counties.
President Ruto praised the partnership between the National and County governments, saying it had strengthened devolution and brought services closer to the people.
He said counties have improved healthcare under the Social Health Authority reforms, expanded agricultural value chains, advanced County Aggregation and Industrial Parks, and adopted digital systems to modernise service delivery.
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For the first time in Kenya's history, the President said, the government has completed the delineation, unbundling and gazettement of devolved functions, a move he said will ensure clarity of responsibility and guarantee that resources follow functions.
"This long-awaited clarification of roles, pending for nearly 12 years, removes historical ambiguities, duplication and institutional tensions that slowed service delivery and generated conflict," he said.
He expressed concern over delays in implementing past summit resolutions and urged institutions to act with urgency to operationalise all decisions.
Deputy President Kindiki called for the operationalisation of devolution sector forums, saying they would help resolve routine operational matters and allow the summit to focus on policy direction.
Governor Abdullahi said counties remain committed to working with national institutions to advance the constitutional vision of a prosperous, inclusive and devolved Kenya.
