Ombudsman Conducts Healthcare Assessment Under Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) In Nakuru County
Ombudsman vice chairman Dorothy Jemator and other stakeholders in Nakuru
…..As Another Team From The Same Commission Offers To Mediate Nyamira County Assembly Leadership Stalemate
By Ombudsman Media Team
Officials from the Commission on Administrative Justice, commonly referred to as Ombudsman has continued to transverse the country, offering their much needed sensitization activities and services.
As it has become the norm, commissioners have divided into groups in a bid to easily reach put most of the country areas, in as less time as is practically possible.
One team is led by the Commission chairman, Charles Dulo while the other by the vice chairman Dorothy Jemator.
Yesterday, one of the team was in Nakuru County with the other in Migori county.
The Commission, led by Vice Chairperson who is also a Commissioner for Access to Information alongside Commissioner for Complaints and Investigations, Charles Njagua carried out spot checks at three hospitals in Nakuru County. The visits aimed to assess healthcare service delivery under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and address challenges affecting both hospitals and citizens.
During the assessment, the team visited Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital, Our Lady of Mercy Mission Hospital, and Valley Private Hospital, engaging with patients and hospital management to understand their experiences with SHIF. Many citizens raised concerns about hospital classification, which affects access to services, delayed reimbursements, and low awareness of SHIF processes. Hospitals also highlighted pending debts from the NHIF era, ongoing system failures, and the lack of a structured complaints resolution system.
Dr. James Waweru, CEO of Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital, emphasized that while universal healthcare is a great initiative, the government needs to strengthen Level 2 and Level 3 facilities to improve access to quality healthcare. He also noted that many young people in the county lack national ID cards, preventing them from registering under SHIF—an issue that significantly affects young mothers.
The Commission’s visit follows numerous public complaints about SHIF, particularly delays in reimbursements to hospitals and challenges in accessing services. Moving forward, the Commission will engage relevant stakeholders to address these concerns and ensure the fund serves its intended purpose effectively.
The commission later attended world kidney day celebrations hosted at Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital and addressed the gathering to create awareness on its mandate.
On the other hand, the other team, led by the chairman was in Migori where they offered to mediate a prolonged leadership impasse at the County Assembly of Nyamira, which has disrupted operations, hindered public service delivery, and divided staff into factions. Speaking during a courtesy visit to County Assembly Speaker Enock Okero at the Rigoma Ward Office in Kitutu Masaba Constituency, the chairperson emphasized that the six-month deadlock undermines devolution and harms citizen services.
Dulo outlined the Commission’s ongoing initiatives under the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) Programme, including technical support to help the county develop a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) policy and draft a Model County Access to Information (ATI) Law.
The Speaker acknowledged the Assembly’s challenges, urging the Commission’s intervention to restore order. He noted that the divisive environment has paralyzed service delivery, with staff aligning into opposing factions.
In response, Dulo reaffirmed the Commission’s constitutional mandate to mediate, stressing that resolution requires political goodwill. He urged the assembly to prioritize adopting the ATI Law, pledging the Commission’s technical support. Additionally, the Commission will train County Assembly Members and staff on public service delivery, GRM, and ATI compliance.
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