Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has voiced sharp criticism of President William Ruto’s Social Health Authority (SHA), describing it as a rushed and poorly implemented healthcare initiative. Speaking during a TikTok live session on Thursday morning, Gachagua argued that the program, designed as a cornerstone of Ruto’s universal health coverage (UHC) agenda, has failed to meet expectations while imposing exorbitant costs on Kenyans.
Gachagua highlighted the financial burden of SHA, which costs Ksh. 104 billion, contrasting it with experts’ recommendations to reform the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for a fraction of the cost approximately Ksh. 800 million. He contended that enhancing NHIF would have been a more cost-effective and practical solution to improve healthcare access nationwide.
“The program was good in concept, but the implementation has been very wanting. It was rushed without sufficient consultation with stakeholders,” Gachagua said. He attributed the hasty rollout to conflicts of interest within the government, suggesting these drove the creation of SHA at the expense of revising NHIF.
According to Gachagua, many Kenyans have been left unable to access basic healthcare services despite their contributions to the SHA system. He also pointed to the financial strain on healthcare facilities, particularly religious hospitals like those run by the Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), which are owed billions of shillings in arrears under the previous NHIF system.
“These hospitals are owed billions, and now we have a new program without addressing what happened to their unpaid dues,” he noted, adding that those raising these concerns are often dismissed as government critics.
The former deputy president urged a return to NHIF, emphasizing its potential for affordable reform. “The government can still revert to NHIF, which had a clear path for reform at a much lower cost,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, President Ruto has stood firmly by the SHA program, reiterating its role in ensuring equitable healthcare access. He emphasized the importance of health insurance for all, arguing that no Kenyan should have to sell property to afford treatment.
Under SHA, UHC is implemented through three funds: the Primary Healthcare Fund, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund. Salaried Kenyans contribute 2.75% of their income to SHIF, a mechanism intended to reduce medical costs.
The debate underscores a critical juncture in Kenya’s healthcare reforms, with differing visions for achieving universal coverage.
