PRESIDENT RUTO DEFENDS U.S DEAL

President William Ruto has been giving the nation a guarantee that the Kenya-U.S. Health Cooperation Framework is not going to be a case of Kenyans being exploited or their country being cheated. His statement was made that the agreement is based on a strong legal foundation and is ruled by the principle of safety and the people's interests of Kenya. He was pointing out that the agreement would not be a hindrance to the rights of Kenyans, and this included health data rights.

The President has claimed that the Office of the Attorney General gave the agreement a detailed scrutiny and made sure that Kenya's data law is automatically in charge.
"Our goal is as clear as day, our focus is as sharp as a laser beam, and our steel-like determination and resolve are in making it happen that not only the interests of the people of Kenya are at the center, but also what is good for our nation is pursued,” he said.

He further stated: “Under my presidency, no one and no administration will be able to take advantage of the citizens of Kenya or the government of Kenya." The statement from President Ruto was made during the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit which he chaired at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday.

Persons from both levels of government, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretaries and Governors headed by Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, who is also the Chair of the Council of Governors, and others, are all present at the summit.

The President cautioned against the spreading of false information by agencies that were previously getting benefits from acting as intermediaries in the U.S. health programmes.
He further explained that it was actually the U.S. Government which made the decision not to support the "NGO industrial complex."
"Should they (NGOs) encounter any difficulties with the present configuration, the Government of the United States should be contacted as it is the one that decided that these resources should be channeled directly to the government for efficiency,” he stated.

The President made it clear to the governors that these fund allocations are intended for the healthcare sector and will thus be passed down to the counties. He mentioned that the US is facilitating the healthcare sector in Kenya with over $1.6 billion (approximately KSh208 billion) support over the next five years.

He referred to it as "not a loan facility".

He pointed out that Kenya was not the first country to sign the agreement by coincidence but by design and that the US recognized the efficiency of Kenyan institutions and the value of human capital.
The President further asserted that the government of Kenya had requested the agreement due to the importance of health services in the country.

He declared that the US is still a trusted partner of Kenya and gave the examples of their trade, investment, and tourism relations which are better than before. Ruto mentioned that a bilateral trade agreement negotiation between Kenya and the United States is now at the advanced stage. He was optimistic that Kenya could be the first African country to finalize such an agreement with the US.

"The US is a crucial market for us. It is one of the few countries with whom we are almost achieving a balanced trade," he said.

Concurrently, he announced that the government has published the transfer of over 46,000 land parcels and 8,062 housing units to the county governments and that this has been done officially.
He requested that the counties work closely with the proper authorities to ensure the legal ownership documentation is processed in accordance with the law.

He also recommended the speeding up of 34,000 parcels of land and more than 1,000 housing units that are still under the transfer process in 40 counties.
President Ruto acknowledged the combination of National and County governments’ efforts they have together. The President pointed out that the collaboration between the two levels of government has made devolution a reality and has brought services to the doorsteps of the citizens.

He further remarked that the strong collaboration has turned the counties into local growth drivers and the government’s responsive and consumer-friendly service delivery champions. He mentioned that the healthcare services of the countries have been good under the Social Health Authority reforms, agricultural value chains have been expanded, County Aggregation and Industrial Parks have been furthered, and digital systems that modernise services have been adopted.

“Since the inaugural summit, we have seen, clearly and powerfully, the transformation that happens when governments choose collaboration rather than confrontation, and partnership rather than competition,” he said.

The President pointed out that for the first time in Kenya's history, the government has now delineated, unbundled, and notified the public of the devolved functions. He further contended that this would make it easier to confuse who is responsible for what and ensure that the money goes where the functions are.

“This long-awaited clarification of roles, pending for nearly 12 years, has finally wiped out historical ambiguities, duplication of functions and institutional tensions that were slowing down service delivery and creating conflicts over responsibilities,” he said.

President Ruto was remorseful for past summit resolutions taken but not implemented and urged all the concerned institutions to act swiftly in bringing to life every resolution.

The Deputy President Kindiki urged the immediate establishment of the devolution sector forums, arguing that they would help to deal with the operational and routine matters so that the National and County Governments Coordinating Summit would be about policy direction.