President William Ruto has sought to clarify reports of irregularities within the Social Health Authority (SHA), attributing the rise in flagged cases to the enhanced detection capabilities of the newly implemented digital health system.
Speaking during a church service at St Peter’s ACK Cathedral in Siaya, Ruto said the SHA’s improved monitoring tools are revealing long-standing irregularities that went undetected under the now-defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
“The system we have introduced is exposing issues that have been ongoing for years. People think there is new corruption — no, the difference is that the new system can detect it,” the President said.
Ruto noted that the government is currently verifying Sh30 billion owed to various hospitals from the NHIF era, but acknowledged that some facilities are yet to cooperate with the audit process.
“We will pay any hospital what they are owed, but only after verification,” he said.
The President warned that health facilities found to have submitted irregular claims may be required to refund the money.
He also indicated that legal action could be considered against institutions that do not comply with reimbursement requirements.
SHA, which replaced NHIF as Kenya’s national health insurance scheme, has introduced reforms to improve transparency and accountability.
These include mandatory registration, biometric identification, a real-time digital system for monitoring claims, and a means-testing mechanism to assess contributions for unemployed and self-employed individuals.
The new system has already had an impact.
On August 26, 2025, SHA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mercy Mwangangi announced the suspension of several health facilities from the national scheme due to suspected irregularities.
The suspensions, published in an official gazette notice, affect hospitals across multiple counties.
Ruto emphasised that the reforms are essential to restoring public trust in Kenya’s healthcare financing system.
“We will not allow past irregularities to affect the future of SHA. Every shilling must serve the people,” he said.
