Atheists in Kenya hail internet’s role in boosting awareness amid SHA crisis
By Ascah Mwango, August 26, 2025The Atheists in Kenya Society has hailed the power of the internet in shaping political consciousness among citizens, saying technology has made it harder for corruption to thrive in silence.
In a statement released on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, the society reflected on the country’s progress since the days of the Moi regime, when access to information was slow and limited. Back then, citizens relied heavily on newspapers, often waiting until the evening to read about events that had occurred the previous day, with most coverage focused on presidential pronouncements.
The society observed that the digital era has revolutionized how Kenyans consume and share information. With platforms providing instant access to videos, court documents, and websites, the public is now more politically conscious and better equipped to hold leaders accountable.
According to the group, this shift has created a more informed citizenry that can question authority and engage actively in governance, reducing the space for impunity and unchallenged corruption.
“In the Moi Era, one would wait for a newspaper in the evening to read about something that happened yesterday. Mostly what Moi had said. Today, we even have videos. Court documents. Websites. The internet has really helped Kenyans to be politically conscious,” the society noted.
SHA scandal
The statement comes at a time of rising public anger over allegations of fraud within the Social Health Authority (SHA), which was set up to replace the scandal-ridden National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Instead of restoring confidence, SHA has already been hit with accusations of massive corruption involving billions of shillings.
In March 2025, SHA disbursed Ksh11.4 billion to hospitals across the country. Soon after, questions arose when small private facilities were found to have received disproportionately large sums. Civil society groups and doctors’ unions warned that some of the hospitals did not even exist, while others had filed exaggerated claims.
The Ministry of Health launched investigations, and Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed shocking findings. Inspectors discovered falsified patient records, duplicate claims, ghost patients, and hospitals inflating bed capacity to pocket millions of shillings. In one case, funds were released to a supposed hospital that investigators found to be nothing more than a thicket.
On August 7, 2025, a Kenya Gazette notice listed 40 hospitals suspended from the SHA program following a forensic audit. Twelve doctors and clinicians were also barred from participating due to their alleged involvement in the fraud.
SHA has dismissed some of the reports, including claims that Nyandiwa Hospital had received Ksh20 million. The authority insisted the allegations were false, but its denials have done little to calm growing public outrage.
Oversight institutions have also raised concerns. Earlier this year, the Auditor General faulted the procurement of SHA’s digital platform, citing weak controls and irregular tendering processes. Civil society groups echoed the findings, warning that the lack of competitive bidding opened dangerous loopholes for exploitation.
The unfolding scandal has drawn comparisons to the NHIF, which a court ruled in May 2025 had suffered years of fraud through ghost patients, inflated claims, and unpaid bills that crippled many hospitals.
Medical claims
In response to the growing storm, Duale announced that the ministry had rejected fraudulent and non-compliant medical claims amounting to Ksh10.6 billion.
“These claims were found to violate Section 48(5) of the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023, which outlines penalties for providers who knowingly or fraudulently alter information to defraud the Authority. Our position on safeguarding public resources has been consistent, clear, and unwavering. Fraud has no place in our health sector,” Duale said in a press release issued on Monday, August 25, 2025.
He explained that the crackdown was part of a wider effort to strengthen transparency in the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), the main pillar of TaifaCare, the universal health coverage program launched on October 1, 2024.
According to ministry data, health facilities have submitted claims worth Ksh82.7 billion to SHA. Of this, Ksh53 billion has already been paid out, Ksh6.4 billion has been approved and is awaiting disbursement, while claims worth Ksh7.6 billion from August are under review.
Besides the Ksh10.6 billion rejected, Ksh3 billion in claims are being re-evaluated due to missing documents, while another Ksh2 billion has been flagged for surveillance.
Duale stressed that every step being taken is aimed at protecting taxpayer money.
“Every shilling contributed to the Social Health Insurance Fund must go towards legitimate, life-saving healthcare,” he said.