Nairobi, April 8 -- President William Ruto has approved allocation of Sh4 billion to partially settle pending bills owed by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), marking part of the changes to the 2025/26 budget that have expanded the overall expenditure by Sh363.9 billion.

The President assented to the Supplementary Appropriations Bill on Wednesday, paving the way for the additional allocation that will help ease financial pressure on hospitals and other suppliers owed by the defunct NHIF.

Social Health Insurance Fund, which is under the Social Health Authority (SHA), replaced the NHIF on October 1, 2024, leaving unpaid bills that have hurt operations of many hospitals and suppliers.

The last full-year audited financial s...