Advertisement
Fred Ogola explains why SHA will never work
08th October, 2025 07:54 AM
Economist and political activist Fred Ogola has said the Social Health Authority (SHA) is doomed to fail just like any other government programme before it.
Speaking during an interview on a local TV station on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Ogola said the problem is not SHA itself, nor is it about the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF); the real issue lies in leadership, or rather, lack of it.
“The problem with SHA is that the decision-makers who need to make the health system work do not use the public health system. In Parliament, they have a medical cover of Ksh10 million and use a private insurance company for their healthcare. When they want treatment, they go outside the country. This is why SHA will never work,” he declared.
However, President William Ruto has once again boasted of his administration’s achievements in the past three years, since 2022.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, during the launch of the Nairobi International Trade Fair in Nairobi, the Head of State has taken pride in the Social Health Authority (SHA), affordable housing, and agricultural transformation.
“Our SHA is working, and that is why 26 million Kenyans have already registered.
“That is not a small number to joke with. It shows that Kenyans have believed in our approach and the programme’s effectiveness,” he noted.
But, on his part, Ogola argues that as long as those who make health decisions in Kenya do not use public healthcare themselves, nothing will improve.
“The fundamental problem we have is that the decision-makers who need to make the health system work do not use the public health system,” Ogola stated.
The critique said that if leaders depended on public hospitals, they would ensure the country’s health system worked.
Also watch: Ruto says critics of SHA are the cartels in the health sector.
“Go to State House and ask Mr President, what is the SHA number at State House? No, they are not on SHA. The entire executive, from ministers to PSs, are not on SHA,” he challenged.
“Every Member of Parliament has 10 million shillings every year for private medical insurance. Come to the Judiciary, same thing. If they want to take a role, let them give their SHA number. The President should be number 1001, Deputy President 1002,” he revealed.
According to Ogola, unless public officials are enrolled in the same healthcare system as ordinary Kenyans, nothing will change.
“The day we shall have public officials being on the public health insurance program, it will work,” he said.
