Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr Signs the MutulaCare Implementation Guidelines as Health Executive Committee Member Joyce Mutua looks on. Photo Gvns Press. 
By Andrew Mbuva
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr on Monday signed the MutulaCare Implementation Guidelines, a policy framework designed to guide the County Assembly on rolling out the County’s ambitious Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme.
MutulaCare is a county-led health initiative aimed at enhancing access to quality healthcare for all Makueni residents, with a focus on the most vulnerable. Under the scheme, the county will pay Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) premiums for indigent and vulnerable households to ensure they can access essential health services.
“The Assembly had asked us to provide guidelines on how many people we expect to register with the available budget, how the funds will be utilized, and, most importantly, what ailments will be covered,” said Governor Mutula during the signing.
The Governor noted that the guidelines clearly outline the range of services beneficiaries will receive, from inpatient and outpatient care to dental, optical, chronic illness management, and emergency treatment — including ambulance evacuations. Chronic conditions such as cancer are also covered.
“One of the most important aspects is ensuring that refunds from SHA payments are used directly by our facilities to buy drugs, hire necessary staff, or purchase equipment,” Mutula said. “This means that when essential drugs run out, hospitals won’t have to wait for the county procurement process — they can order directly from KEMSA. Through the Facility Improvement Fund, our hospitals will gain financial independence, and unused funds will not revert to the county treasury at the end of the financial year.”
The Governor emphasized that the move will reduce cases where registered residents are forced to seek services outside the county, adding that the Health Department will now focus on monitoring fund management to ensure quality service delivery.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health Services, Joyce Mutua, lauded the guidelines, saying they align with the national Social Health Authority (SHA) framework.
“We are targeting to mobilize more than 50 percent of our residents to register into SHA so that they can access quality, affordable healthcare and free services in our Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals,” said Joyce Mutua. “We are also sponsoring more than 18,000 vulnerable households to access advanced healthcare in our Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6 hospitals. In the MutulaCare program, each ward will spend KSh 3 million out of its KSh 33 million allocation to mobilize residents for SHA registration.”
The Cabinet approved the MutulaCare scheme last week, and its rollout is expected to significantly improve healthcare access, making Makueni one of the leading counties in implementing UHC.
