KMPDU Deputy SG accuses Ruto of knowingly misleading Kenyans on SHA
Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Deputy Secretary General Dennis Miskellah has bashed President William Ruto and other politicians for misleading Kenyans that healthcare is free of charge.
Miskellah, speaking to a local radio station on Friday, October 24, 2025, regretted that politicians have been thriving on lies.
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The union leader said the government’s messaging around the Social Health Authority (SHA) was dishonest and dangerously simplistic.
Miskellah says Kenyans are confused
He argued that the public had been made to believe that access to treatment and medication would cost them nothing, a claim he said was far from reality.
“There’s nothing like free healthcare; that’s what many people misunderstand. Politicians, including President Ruto, told citizens, ‘Don’t pay; if you’re asked to pay, report it.’ But in reality, someone has to cover the cost for those services,” the union leader said.
Miskellah accused the government of failing to educate Kenyans on how the three SHA funds operate and what each of them covers.
He noted that most citizens remain unaware of what they are contributing to, creating confusion and mistrust in the new healthcare framework.
“The government has failed to break down the meaning of the three SHA funds to citizens, leaving many confused about what they’re contributing to,” he said.
Also watch: Miskellah warns SHA may collapse if Kenyans continue seeking care in private hospitals
“We’ve always criticised the funding model used under SHA because, in a country where about 80 per cent of people work in the informal sector or are unemployed, it’s unclear how the government expects everyone to pay.”
A call for honest reforms
The deputy secretary general warned that the illusion of free healthcare was unsustainable and could erode trust between citizens and the state.
He said the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has repeatedly urged the government to adopt a more transparent approach to health financing.
Miskellah urged the Ministry of Health to clarify how SHA funds would be managed and to ensure accountability in their implementation.
Also watch: Ruto says 26M Kenyans registered under SHA is proof that it is working
He also called on the government to create a realistic funding mechanism that reflects the country’s economic realities.
He stressed that without honest engagement and adequate public education, the promise of universal health coverage would remain a political slogan rather than a functional system that genuinely serves Kenyans.
