Kericho Green stadium renamed

By Peter Ochieng 

The Kericho Green stadium in Kericho county has a new name.

President William Ruto, while leading Kenyans in marking the 60th Mashujaa Day celebrations, renamed the stadium to Kiprugut Chumo, the first Kenyan athlete to win an Olympic medal.

Chumo won silver in the 800m race, during the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City, Mexico.

The former athlete, a native of Kericho county died in 2022 aged 84 years.

This year's celebrations ended by noon, after Kenyans from all walks of life filled the 10, 000 capacity stadium by 7am.

Ruto used the opportunity to defend his signing of four bills into law, aligned to the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

He signed the bills into law on Thursday, after arriving back in the country from his tour of China.

They are; the Primary Health Care Bill, Facility Improvement Financing Bill, Digital Health Bill and the Social Health Insurance Bill, with their signing into law seemingly signalling another tax burden to Kenyans.

Ruto said Kenya's healthcare system is now on the path to preventive, as opposed to curative.

"It is against this backdrop that the government proposes a paradigm shift in the provision of social health insurance, in the new Social Health Insurance Act, 2023, which provides for the formation of a Social Health Authority which will repeal the current National Health Insurance Fund Act, 1998."

"I promised a fully, publicly financed primary health care system, an emergency care fund and a health Insurance fund that will cover all Kenyans. This promise is delivered through the enactment of the new Social Health Insurance Act which, among other things, establishes the publicly financed Primary Health Fund."

"Previously, an individual earning Sh10,000 had to part with Sh500 to NHIF, a hefty 5% of their earnings. On the other hand, those with salaries of Sh100,000 or more contributed Sh1,700, a mere 1.7% of their income. Astonishingly, even someone with a monthly income of Ksh.1 million, paid the same amount," he added.