Geoffrey Mosiria has urged President William Ruto to order an independent and transparent investigation into the implementation of the Social Health Authority (SHA), amid growing concerns over patients being asked to pay cash for services they believe should be covered.

Mosiria says Kenyans need to be told the truth about what is happening on the ground, arguing that the success of universal healthcare cannot be judged by official reports alone but by the actual experiences of patients seeking treatment.

According to Mosiria, SHA was introduced with good intentions following the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), with Kenyans expecting easier and more affordable access to healthcare.

However, he says implementation challenges, system failures, administrative weaknesses and allegations of malpractice in some health facilities are threatening public confidence in the programme.

“Mr. President, please do not rely only on reports from officials within the system,” Mosiria says, calling for an independent assessment of SHA implementation across the country.

He raises concerns over cases where patients referred from Level 4 facilities to Level 5 or Level 6 hospitals because of serious medical conditions are allegedly asked to make cash payments before admission despite being registered under SHA.

Mosiria argues that such cases are particularly troubling because Kenyans were promised access to covered healthcare without being forced to make unexpected payments.

He also points to instances where technical problems affecting the SHA system allegedly leave patients unable to access treatment unless they pay cash.

“A system failure should not become a reason for a sick person to be denied urgent medical care,” he says.

Mosiria further wants authorities to investigate allegations that some hospitals could be submitting claims to SHA while simultaneously demanding additional payments from patients for services that are supposed to be covered.

He stressed that such allegations must be independently investigated and should not be treated as established facts without evidence.

He has also raised concerns over possible fraud, abuse and conflicts of interest within the SHA claims and payment system, including allegations that individuals previously linked to questionable NHIF claims could have interests within the new system.

Mosiria says these concerns require a thorough investigation to establish whether there are individuals undermining the programme for personal gain.

He wants the investigation to establish whether hospitals are demanding cash for SHA-covered services, whether facilities are submitting claims while charging patients separately, and how frequently technical failures prevent Kenyans from accessing treatment.

The proposed inquiry should also examine whether public hospitals are receiving SHA reimbursements on time and whether the funds are reaching the services for which they are intended.

Mosiria is further calling for an investigation into difficulties faced by patients referred to higher-level hospitals and whether ordinary Kenyans experience the SHA system differently from civil servants and other groups.

He says the President should listen directly to patients, doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and independent healthcare experts rather than relying exclusively on officials overseeing the implementation of SHA.

“If SHA is being sabotaged or poorly implemented, those responsible should be identified and held accountable. If the problems are caused by weaknesses in the system, those weaknesses should be corrected,” Mosiria says.

He insists that Kenyans do not want SHA to fail but want the system to work as intended.

Mosiria is now calling on President Ruto to obtain an independent report on the state of SHA in hospitals across the country and take corrective measures before public confidence in the universal healthcare programme is lost.

He argues that the true test of SHA should be simple: whether an ordinary Kenyan can walk into a hospital when sick and receive the care they need without being forced to pay cash because of failures within the healthcare system.

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