President William Ruto has defended the newly signed KSh208 billion health deal with the United States’ government on December 4, 2025.
Speaking at the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit at State House, Nairobi, Ruto explained that when U.S. President Donald Trump invited him—along with other regional leaders—to witness the signing of the DRC-Rwanda peace agreement, they emphasized the critical importance of peace and security in the Great Lakes region.
But beyond regional peace, Ruto added that it was also necessary to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Kenya, which led to the signing of the landmark agreement on health.
“It was also necessary for us to further consolidate the relationship between the United States and Kenya by signing an agreement on matters of health,” said Ruto.
How Ruto Ended up Signing the Kenya-US Deal
Referring to the hurdles experienced in the last three years, Ruto said that health has been a significant challenge for the national and the county governments.
He explained that the agreement was a request by the government of Kenya because “health is one of the big tickets that between the national government and the county governments we have been focusing on for the last three years.”
Ruto highlighted that the signed health deal will help Kenyans pay their hospital bills and avoid bankruptcy.
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“Many people, in fact, estimates have put it at almost a million families every year that sink into poverty and debt because of hospital bills. And therefore, it became a concern for us as a citizenry in Kenya,” said Ruto.
Another Upcoming Deal Between Kenya and the United States
President William Ruto also hinted that Kenya is on track to become the first African country to sign a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement with the United States in early 2026.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Ruto noted that he had already met a U.S. trade representative and had sent his Trade Cabinet Secretary abroad twice to lobby for the deal.
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He estimated that Kenya sells close to US$800 million of goods annually to the U.S. and insisted that Nairobi has the U.S. government’s commitment that Kenya could conclude the bilateral trade agreement “possibly within early January”, even as negotiations over renewal of the now-expired African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) continue.
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