NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29 – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has exuded confidence that Kenya’s push toward universal health coverage (UHC) is firmly on the right trajectory, as the number of citizens registered for public medical insurance under the government’s TAIFA Care programme hit 25 million.Speaking during a meeting with coastal legislators in Mombasa, Kindiki described the milestone as a ‘transformative measure’ that will define the legacy of the current administration.“Today we are celebrating because around 12 noon, we hit the 25 million Kenyans registration mark Kenyans who have registered for medical insurance,” he said.“If there is one transformative measure that will be remembered for a long time under this administration, it is universal health care and enabling as many citizens as possible to have medical cover.”The government now aims to expand registration to between 40 and 45 million Kenyans within the next year, a target Kindiki said is achievable given the current momentum.The TAIFA Care programme is designed to bring millions of Kenyans especially those outside formal employment into the healthcare system through publicly funded medical insurance.“We are talking about half of Kenya today working on an insurance called medical,” he noted.“And these are not people who are working, people who have payslips. No these are fishermen, pastoralists, and people with no jobs, but they have a medical cover.”Mombasa is leading the country, with over 71 percent of its population now enrolled, a performance Kindiki said reflects strong local coordination and public engagement.The Deputy President stressed that registration is only the beginning with the next phase involving improving the quality and reliability of services that insured Kenyans can access.“We want to perfect that insurance by equipping hospitals, making drugs available, sorting out health personnel issues, and ensuring health facilities are reimbursed for their actual expenditure,” he said.“This fine-tuning will take the next five or so years. It’s not going to be perfect on day one.”Kindiki acknowledged that past governments had attempted similar reforms but abandoned them due to political resistance or policy uncertainty.“President Kibaki tried to bring social insurance there was resistance, he abandoned it. President Uhuru, with his Big Four agenda, also tried to introduce it there was politics, and he pulled back,” he said.The rollout of TAIFA Care comes amid the broader transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF)a new framework established under the Social Health Insurance Act to ensure that all Kenyans can access healthcare regardless of income or employment status.