Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has called on President William Ruto to shift the focus of evaluating the Social Health Authority (SHA) from registration statistics to actual healthcare access and outcomes for Kenyans.
In a recent interview, Sifuna highlighted ongoing challenges in the rollout of SHA, the government’s flagship health insurance reform replacing the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Despite increased funding and expanded coverage, many patients and health facilities continue to face difficulties.
Concerns Over Healthcare Delivery
Sifuna noted that county hospitals are owed significant sums, and that many families still resort to fundraising events, known as harambees, to settle medical bills—contrary to the promise of universal healthcare under SHA.
“The success of our healthcare scheme should be measured by how many people are actually accessing services, not just how many have registered,” Sifuna emphasized, criticizing what he described as an overreliance on registration numbers as a performance metric.
He also questioned whether increased monthly contributions—citing his own rise from under Ksh1,000 to over Ksh32,000—have translated into improved care, pointing out ongoing complaints and concerns about unexplained deductions from hospital reimbursements.
President Ruto Defends SHA Achievements
President Ruto has rejected calls to revert to the NHIF system, arguing that SHA has significantly boosted funding. Speaking from State House Nairobi, he cited monthly disbursements averaging Ksh12 billion to hospitals, compared to Ksh5.6 billion under NHIF.
The President announced that over Ksh170 billion has been allocated to health facilities in the past 18 months, alongside procurement of medical equipment worth Ksh10 billion. He also revealed plans to insure all 107,000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs), who play a critical role in registering households, educating communities, and facilitating access to healthcare.
“Community Health Promoters are the first point of contact between Kenyans and their health system,” Ruto said, underscoring their frontline role in the ongoing reforms.
