Khalwale urges Ruto to scrap SHA and restore NHIF over Mumias hospital woes
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has urged President William Ruto to reconsider the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at a funeral in Ebuchifi village, Mumias West, in Kakamega County, Khalwale said that the new scheme is riddled with flaws that are crippling healthcare services across the country.
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The lawmaker who is now eyeing the Kakamega County gubernatorial seat in 2027 lamented the closure of St Mary’s Mumias Hospital, which he said has been the community’s most reliable health facility.
According to him, the hospital’s shutdown is a direct result of complications arising from the government’s new health insurance system.
“Hospitali yetu ya kutegemea hapa ni St Mary’s Mumias. St Mary’s Hospital sasa imefungwa, na sababu ya kufungwa ni mambo ya bima. Mr President, I am a professional; listen to me. I am telling you what other doctors want to tell you lakini hawana nafasi ya kukuambia,” Khalwale said.
Also Watch: Khalwale dares Ruto to sack CS Duale and SHA chair over SHA scandal
Restoring NHIF
He further argued that the SHA system has too many defects compared to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which he insists was working well for Kenyans before it was scrapped.
Khalwale insisted that the head of state should consider scrapping SHA and restoring NHIF, since the new national health insurance has proved to be ineffective.
“Mimi ni daktari aliyepigiwa kura, na niko na jukumu la kukuambia yakwamba bima ya kutibu Wakenya iko na dosari mingi sana. Kitu ambayo inaitwa SHA, kitu ambayo inaitwa SHIF, kama mheshimiwa rais serikali haiwezi rekebisha zile dosari, hiyo kitu iondolewe, turudishe NHIF,” Khalwale argued.
Khalwale emphasised that under NHIF, St Mary’s Mumias Hospital had been operational and serving the community since 1932 without the kind of financial setbacks now being witnessed.
“NHIF na SHA zote ni bima za serikali, na NHIF haikuwa na shida. Chini ya NHIF, St Mary’s Mumias has been functioning from 1932 mpaka sasa,” he said.
Duale on St Mary’s Hospital woes
Khalwale’s remarks come days after Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale clarified that neither SHA nor the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has withdrawn the operating licences of St Mary’s Hospital in Mumias, Kakamega County.
Duale spoke after co-chairing a high-level meeting with Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, attended by officials from the Ministry of Health, county leadership, and the hospital’s management, led by Kakamega Catholic Diocese Bishop Joseph Obanyi.
In a statement on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Duale stated that the discussions focused on addressing the financial difficulties facing the faith-based facility, which serves thousands of residents in the region.
“For clarity, neither SHA nor KMPDC has withdrawn St Mary’s operating licences,” read the statement in part.
Furthermore, he revealed that the government and the leadership of St Mary’s Mumias Mission Hospital have resolved critical issues regarding the settlement of SHA claims, assuring residents that the facility remains operational despite recent challenges.
