Parliamentarians in group photo during the last day of their retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru County.
By Suleiman Mbatiah and William Muchiri
The National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang’ula, has directed the parliamentary Health Committee to meet with officials from the Ministry of Health and the Social Health Authority (SHA) to address persistent challenges undermining the implementation of the SHA programme.
The directive follows concerns raised by lawmakers over poor service delivery, inadequate funding, unclear implementation frameworks, and ineffective communication. These issues have not only hindered the programme’s progress but also eroded public trust in the initiative.
The SHA, a key component of Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda, aims to provide affordable healthcare to all citizens. However, its rollout has been marred by logistical and communication failures, drawing criticism from both legislators and the public.
Speaking during a parliamentary retreat in Naivasha last week, Wetang’ula instructed the Health Committee chair, Robert Pukose, to compile a report on the challenges and present a detailed plan to the House by Tuesday next week.
“We need a clear roadmap to resolve these challenges,” Wetang’ula said.
At the retreat, Health Ministry officials, including Principal Secretary Dr. Harry Kimtai and SHA Board Chairman Dr. Abdi Mohamed, urged MPs to support the programme by encouraging public enrolment.
“Your influence is critical in bridging the gap between government initiatives and citizens,” Dr. Mohamed told legislators. He called on MPs to educate their constituents on the benefits of the scheme and encourage them to register.
Dr. Kimtai highlighted the programme’s potential to reduce healthcare costs for vulnerable populations, urging MPs to champion it in their constituencies. “This initiative is about ensuring fairness and dignity for every Kenyan,” he said.
SHA Acting CEO Robert Ingasira acknowledged the challenges but noted that 22 million Kenyans have already registered. He assured MPs that efforts were underway to address gaps in service delivery.
“There are challenges, but we are working tirelessly to resolve them,” Ingasira said.
Despite these assurances, MPs remain sceptical, citing ongoing issues that threaten the programme’s effectiveness. The upcoming meeting between the Health Committee and SHA officials is expected to outline concrete steps to address these challenges and ensure the programme’s success.
Members of the National Assembly had raised serious concerns over the implementation of the SHIF, citing service delivery challenges, unresolved debts inherited from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), and unclear communication on benefits under the new scheme.
The MPs questioned the two officials on why Kenyans were struggling to access healthcare despite deductions from their salaries.
According to Dr. Mohamed, 18,510,650 Kenyans have so far been registered on the system, with those aged between 18 and 35 recording the highest registration representing 4.83 million of the total population, while those aged above 55 represent the lowest registration at 2.03 million.
However, Seme MP Dr James Nyikal led his colleagues in noting that despite the high registration numbers, beneficiaries were struggling to access services, stating, “If 18 million people are registered, they should be receiving services, but they are not.”
The MPs were also informed that the top 5 Counties by registration are Mombasa at 514,936 (43.2%); Kirinyaga at 176,273 (28.9%); Bomet at 240,641 (27.5%); Elgeyo Marakwet at 123,352 (27.1%) and Embu at 161,640 (26.6%).
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