Kenya’s healthcare system stands on the brink as hospitals, medical associations, and stakeholders ramp up pressure on the government to immediately release the full Social Health Authority (SHA) payment list for public scrutiny. The escalating call for transparency exposes deep-seated frustrations over delayed reimbursements, suspected fraud, and opaque fund allocation threatening the survival of private and faith-based facilities nationwide.
According to recent reports in The Standard, medical experts and hospital leaders are insisting on detailed disclosure of all government disbursements under SHA. This would enable verification of how over KSh 130 billion collected from contributors has been spent, with authorities claiming nearly KSh 92 billion already paid out to providers. Yet, providers paint a starkly different picture: crippling arrears, some stretching six months or more for primary care services, forcing many facilities to suspend labs, pharmacies, or demand cash from patients—directly contradicting universal health coverage goals.
The Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) has repeatedly protested, with past suspensions of SHA services highlighting outstanding claims reportedly exceeding tens of billions, including legacy NHIF debts. Recent developments reveal Sh11 billion lost to fraudulent claims—many linked to inflated or fake submissions—prompting Health CS Aden Duale to block rogue providers. However, legitimate hospitals counter that blanket rejections and delays are pushing them toward collapse, with calls from figures like Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris for full payment data release to restore trust.
Stakeholders argue opacity breeds suspicion of mismanagement, especially after the payment list briefly vanished from the SHA website last year before restoration amid backlash. They demand predictable, transparent funding—not ad-hoc MP interventions for the indigent—and warn that without visibility, public confidence erodes, vulnerable Kenyans face denied care, and the sector risks nationwide shutdowns.
The government defends SHA’s anti-fraud measures and ongoing disbursements, insisting the system promotes accountability. But as protests mount and facilities struggle, the message is clear: Full public disclosure of the SHA payment list is non-negotiable. Transparency isn’t a luxury—it’s essential to safeguard lives, rebuild trust, and deliver the equitable healthcare Kenyans were promised.
