Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said reforms under the newly created Social Health Authority (SHA) will prioritize restoring accountability and rebuilding trust in Kenya’s healthcare system.
Speaking after revealing that the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) had carried a questionable Sh30 billion debt, Duale stressed that the government’s focus is not only on correcting past mistakes but also on creating a transparent system that directly benefits citizens.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, years of inefficiency and weak oversight at NHIF left Kenyans exposed to poor service delivery, particularly in maternal and child healthcare.
The Linda Mama programme, meant to safeguard mothers and newborns, was cited as having been heavily mismanaged, with Sh5.6 billion of the fictitious debt tied to it.
“This was more than an accounting problem. It was about broken systems that denied mothers and children the quality of care they deserved,” Duale said in a statement.
He explained that SHA is now at the center of reforms, introducing stricter financial controls, closing loopholes that allowed fraud, and ensuring every shilling invested in health translates into real care.
Among the key changes is the rollout of the Primary Healthcare Fund and the Social Health Insurance Fund, initiatives designed to strengthen universal health coverage.
Duale maintained that the reforms will put patients, not bureaucracy, at the heart of healthcare.
“We are committed to a transparent and service-driven system that guarantees dignity for every Kenyan,” he said.
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