Lazarus Nyakanga

Salaries, Allowances, and Hefty Benefits Speakers Wetang’ula and Kingi Enjoy

President William Ruto promised to pursue hospitals and individuals stealing from the Social Health Authority (SHA). He spoke during a meeting in Nairobi, vowing to recover stolen funds. According to Ruto, over 1,000 health facilities have been shut down for fraud. He said perpetrators must refund money and face prosecution. The President addressed grassroots leaders from Kiambu County at State House. He stressed that corruption in SHA will not be tolerated. Ruto warned that stealing from the sick is a serious crime. “Tumeondoa leseni ya mahospitali zaidi ya 1000 ambao wanafuja pesa (We have revoked licenses of over 1,000 hospitals stealing health funds),” he declared. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale reported 728 facilities closed for non-compliance. He noted that some hospitals falsified claims to siphon billions. Investigations revealed ghost hospitals and fake patient records in the scam. The SHA website was taken down amid public outrage over the fraud. Ruto compared the SHA scandal to the collapsed National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). He said NHIF’s failure was due to debts of 30 billion shillings. The government has referred cases to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Several doctors and clinicians have lost their access to SHA systems. SHA aims to provide universal healthcare to all Kenyans. Fraudulent claims threaten the program’s goal of affordable care. Ruto emphasized that digitization helps detect fake claims and ghost facilities. He promised ongoing audits to protect public funds. The crackdown includes private, public, and faith-based hospitals nationwide. Facilities must refund money obtained through fraudulent means. Lawmakers demanded Health Cabinet Secretary Duale’s resignation over the scandal. They criticized the rushed implementation of SHA’s digital system