{"id":703,"date":"2026-02-09T10:42:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T10:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/?p=703"},"modified":"2026-02-09T10:43:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T10:43:55","slug":"mwaura-silences-sha-critics-as-29-million-kenyans-enroll-nyota-funds-empower-youth-across-44-counties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/?p=703","title":{"rendered":"Mwaura Silences SHA Critics as 29 Million Kenyans Enroll, NYOTA Funds Empower Youth Across 44 Counties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Government Spokesperson Hon. (Dr.) Isaac Mwaura during the briefing <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Jeff Kizzilah <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government Spokesperson Hon. (Dr.) Isaac Mwaura has pushed back against critics who had dismissed the Social Health Authority (SHA) as a scam, citing concrete numbers that show growing public uptake and impact across the country.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking while outlining key government interventions, Dr. Mwaura revealed that 29 million Kenyans have so far been registered under SHA, marking the country\u2019s closest step yet toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).He further highlighted the success of the NYOTA Program, through which Ksh 2.8 billion has been disbursed to 114,240 young entrepreneurs in 44 counties, describing it as a transformative initiative that is nurturing a culture of saving, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance among the youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are not theories. These are real Kenyans, real businesses, and real impact,\u201d Mwaura said, dismissing claims that the programs lack substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Kenyans Are Saying About SHAPublic reaction to SHA remains mixed but evolving.Supporters say the high registration numbers reflect growing trust, especially among low-income households seeking affordable healthcare.Critics, however, continue to raise concerns over service delivery, clarity of benefits, and hospital preparedness, urging the government to match enrollment with quality care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government maintains that system improvements are ongoing, with digitization and oversight mechanisms being strengthened to enhance efficiency and accountability.Grade 10 Transition: Government Moves to Keep Learners in SchoolDr. Mwaura acknowledged that some students are yet to report to school, noting that the government is focusing on supporting such learners through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presidential and ministerial bursariesMP and county government education funds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also warned against schools exploiting parents through excessive fees, urging principals to strictly follow Ministry of Education guidelines to avoid locking out willing students.Drought Response: Billions Committed to Save Lives and LivestockOn drought mitigation, Mwaura confirmed that the government has committed at least Ksh 2 billion, with the allocation likely to rise to Ksh 4 billion, to support food distribution in affected regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counties such as Garissa and Wajir are already benefiting from:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food relief<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water supply interventionsLivestock insurance programsHe expressed optimism following April\u2013May rainfall forecasts, while calling on development partners to complement government efforts.Protecting Kenyans Seeking Jobs Abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing labour migration, Mwaura cautioned Kenyans to be vigilant when seeking employment overseas.He noted that:Unauthorized recruitment agencies have been deregisteredThe Ministry of Labour continues to issue official advisoriesGovernment agencies are working jointly to protect Kenyan workers from exploitationEconomic Gains and Anti-Corruption DriveOn the economic front, Kenya has risen from the 8th to the 6th largest economy in Africa, alongside:Inflation dropping from 9.6% in 2022 to 4.6%A stabilised exchange rate of about Ksh 129.5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, digitization has become central in the fight against corruption. With over 23,000 services on the E-Citizen platform, the government is now collecting up to Ksh 1 billion daily, significantly reducing revenue leakages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHA<\/strong>: A Work in Progress, Government InsistsDr. Mwaura concluded by reiterating that SHA is not a scam but a system under continuous refinement, urging Kenyans to engage constructively as reforms are implemented.\u201cCriticism is welcome, but facts matter. We are building systems that work for the people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Government Spokesperson Hon. (Dr.) Isaac Mwaura during the briefing By Jeff Kizzilah Government Spokesperson Hon. (Dr.) Isaac Mwaura has pushed back against critics who had… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=703"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":707,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions\/707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}