Gachagua: Ruto messed up health systems by scrapping off NHIF
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has thrown a jab at President William Ruto over the government’s decision to scrap the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), accusing the Head of State of dismantling a struggling but functional system in favour of an expensive and ineffective alternative.
Speaking on Sunday, August 10, 2025, during the diaspora townhall engagement at Holy Names University, San Francisco, California, USA, Gachagua criticised the introduction of the Social Health Authority (SHA), branding it a costly blunder that has worsened healthcare access across the country.
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According to the former DP, NHIF only required minor legislative reforms and a modest financial boost to operate efficiently.
“He has messed up the health systems. When we came into office, there was NHIF, which was struggling but working. What we need are the reforms in the NHIF Act to make it more compliant and efficient and to serve the people of Kenya,” Gachagua said.
The NHIF, Kenya’s long-standing public health insurance provider, was phased out earlier this year as part of President Ruto’s health sector overhaul under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda. It was replaced by the SHA through the newly introduced Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) mechanism.
However, Gachagua has questioned both the logic and the cost behind the change, alleging that the new system has failed to take off, despite billions of shillings being funnelled into its rollout.
“He scraped it off and brought something called SHA-SHIF. NHIF needed 800 million Kenyan shillings to reform it, but Ruto scrapped it in favour of SHA-SHIF for 140 billion shillings. That is money that is being stolen, and it is not working despite spending that amount,” he stated.
The DCP boss’s remarks come amid growing public discontent and confusion over the implementation of SHA, with several hospitals reportedly rejecting patients under the new system due to compensation delays and unclear operating frameworks.
“As we speak, yesterday, the private hospitals said that all government employees will have to pay in cash because SHA is not working,” Gachagua told the town hall rally.
While Ruto has defended the new system as a transformative step toward equitable healthcare access, Gachagua has raised concerns about poor planning, lack of stakeholder engagement, and limited public awareness of how the SHA works.
Gachagua also called for greater transparency and accountability in the management of SHA funds, warning that without urgent fixes, Kenya risks a deeper healthcare crisis.
