CS Aden Duale .
By Peter mwibanda
NAIROBI — Less than a year after the Social Health Authority (SHA) began settling claims for medical services, the system meant to guarantee universal health care is fast spiraling into a financial scandal a déjà vu moment eerily similar to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) controversies of the past.
What began as a promise to revolutionize healthcare access for all Kenyans has now morphed into a cesspool of corruption, favoritism and outright theft of public resources.
SHA is bleeding taxpayer funds and at the heart of the storm are questionable payouts millions of shillings disbursed to little-known medical facilities, many of them allegedly linked to senior government officials.
According to insiders and whistleblowers, some of these hospitals barely exist.
Others operate in appalling conditions and lack the capacity to offer services anywhere near the value of the claims they’ve received.
The Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association has flagged multiple payments made to facilities allegedly connected to the SHA board chairperson.
In a formal letter to authorities, the association accused SHA of favoritism, non-transparency, and ignoring due diligence in its claims process.
“This is no longer about inefficiency — it’s a systemic looting scheme,” said a health sector stakeholder, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
Several private facilities in rural and underserved areas say their claims are pending, while relatively unknown clinics with questionable patient volumes and infrastructure have been paid handsomely.
In some cases, the payments run into tens of millions, with little to no verification of actual services rendered.
The situation has prompted a wave of public outrage on social media, with Kenyans demanding accountability and transparency.
The scandal is already being dubbed “NHIF 2.0” a painful reminder that new institutions can inherit old rot if left unchecked.
Even more damning are reports that SHA has allegedly paid claims to ghost facilities some nonexistent, others operating out of semi-permanent structures or in locations unfit for basic care, let alone complex medical treatment.
Health economists warn that unless urgent reforms are undertaken, SHA risks collapsing under the weight of corruption before it even fully takes off.
“This was supposed to be our shot at equitable, affordable healthcare,” said a doctor from Kisumu County. “Instead, it’s a fast-moving train wreck.”
At its launch SHA was marketed as the cure to NHIF’s chronic failures a fresh start under the Ruto administration to deliver health justice.
Instead, it now mirrors the very rot it promised to eradicate.
The Ministry of Health has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the growing allegations.
However pressure is mounting with calls from civil society and medical associations for an immediate forensic audit, suspension of implicated officials, and full transparency in the claims process.
For now, Kenyans watch in dismay as what was meant to be a health revolution descends into yet another scandal.
The question now is not whether the system is flawed it is who will take responsibility for allowing the rot to take root so fast and how much longer taxpayers will foot the bill for elite corruption disguised as healthcare reform.
