President William Ruto has announced reforms aimed at strengthening Kenya’s emergency medical response system.
Speaking during the 95th St John Ambulance Annual Parade and Inspection held at State House, Nairobi, on June 21, 2026, the head of state praised the 62,000 emergency response volunteers across the country.
According to Ruto, the reforms are part of the government’s strategy to reduce preventable deaths caused by delayed medical attention, poor coordination of emergency services, and financial barriers under universal health coverage.
“Under universal health coverage that I promised Kenyans, which is now being implemented full scale across the country. We also determined that in the past we’ve lost many lives because there isn’t a proper emergency service and that any accident victims when they get to hospitals are sked who will pay the bill, as the government and to sort out the problem that was giving us serous outcome,” said Ruto
National Ambulance Dispatch Center to Coordinate Emergency Response
President Ruto has announced the establishment of a National Ambulance Dispatch Center in Nairobi. The center will serve as a coordination hub for emergency medical services across the country, linking ambulances, hospitals, and first responders in real time.
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According to the President, the system will ensure the faster dispatch of ambulances to accident scenes and medical emergencies, free of charge for all Kenyans, registered and unregistered.
“To strengthen emergency care, we are setting up a National Ambulance Dispatch Centre in Nairobi, which will coordinate activities and ensure faster arrival times. The service will be free for every Kenyan,” said Ruto.
Expanded SHA Coverage for Emergency and Critical Care
The Head of State also announced expanded emergency funding under the Social Health Authority (SHA) to cover evacuation and treatment costs within the first 24 hours of an incident, and the government will facilitate the treatment.
Funding will also extend to cases of chronic and critical illness, strengthening the government’s universal health coverage agenda.
The government also unveiled a major support package for St John Ambulance Kenya, recognizing its long-standing role in emergency response, first aid training, and youth mentorship programmes across the country.
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The package includes the allocation of land in Nairobi for institutional expansion and the purchase of the organization’s office near Parliament, at a cost of KSh300 million.
Ruto has also committed KSh200 million towards the construction of new administrative offices to improve operational efficiency and training capacity.
In addition, the government will procure 15 new ambulances to strengthen the organization’s fleet, which will be registered and operational under SHA to ensure coordinated deployment and funding support.
“To support St John Ambulance’s noble work, we have allocated the organisation land in Nairobi. Additionally, we have engaged Parliament so that it takes over the St John Ambulance office next to the Legislature at a cost of KSh300 million. This will enable the organisation to build a modern headquarters. The Government will also provide KSh200 million for the construction of St John Ambulance offices. We will further purchase 15 new ambulances for the organisation and register them under SHA,”added Ruto.
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