NAIROBI,Kenya – Last year, the inauguration of the Social Health Authority (SHA) ushered in what many Kenyans believed would be a transformative era for healthcare. The transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) was touted as the cornerstone of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), a promise to ensure every Kenyan, rich or poor, had access to quality healthcare. Yet, today, that vision lies in tatters.
The SHIF, a beam—or if you may, ‘Bima’—of hope, has become a Pandora’s box of inefficiencies, delays, and heartbreaking stories of lives lost and families devastated. The dream of accessible healthcare for all has turned into a nightmare for many.
The transition from NHIF to SHIF, managed by SHA remains incomplete, leaving patients in limbo. Hospitals routinely turn away eligible patients due to systemic failures or bureaucratic hurdles. Stories abound of individuals who, despite being fully paid-up members, are unable to access the medical services they are entitled to.
In an era of digital advancements, it is astonishing that Kenyans are still required to physically deliver documents to SHA offices as proof of payment. Why should Kenyans endure such indignities for a service they have paid for? Why is the burden of inefficiency shifted to those already suffering?
Day after day, the headlines tell harrowing tales of patients dying because SHA delayed or outright denied approval for treatments. Chronic illness patients are left fighting for care that should be their right, while hospitals grapple with mounting unpaid claims. In one particularly shocking incident, desperate patients stormed the Ministry of Health offices, demanding solutions to SHA’s glaring inefficiencies.
The tragic irony is that Universal Health Coverage, meant to alleviate suffering, has instead become a source of anguish. And for every inefficiency, for every delay, it is Kenyans who pay the ultimate price—sometimes with their lives.
Healthcare professionals are increasingly frustrated by a system that hampers their ability to provide care. How can we expect our healthcare workers to deliver when the system itself is fundamentally broken? And, perhaps the most glaring failure of all is the Ministry of Health’s lack of proactive disclosure.
Instead of addressing the mounting concerns, the Ministry has chosen to maintain a convenient silence. Crucial information about SHA’s operations and the steps being taken to resolve the ongoing crisis remains shrouded in mystery. Kenyans deserve transparency, yet they are met with opacity.
For how long will Kenyans be asked to bear the brunt of a failing system? How many more lives will be lost before the government takes decisive action? What is the Ministry of Health doing to ensure the full operationalisation of SHIF and its efficiency? These are the tough questions that demand urgent answers.
Kenyans are tired of paying taxes and higher premiums only to see a decline in social services like healthcare. The government’s plea for patience rings hollow in the face of growing suffering and death. SHIF was supposed to be the panacea for Kenya’s healthcare woes. Instead, it has exposed deeper systemic failures.
It is time for the government to stop asking for patience and start delivering results. For every day of inaction, another Kenyan life is put at risk. The promise of Universal Health Coverage must not become yet another broken dream. Kenyans deserve better, and they deserve it now.
Geoffrey Odhiambo is a Lawyer and Programme Officer at the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya). Thi article was first published on the Star Newspaper.