Muite: Kenyans looted again in the NHIF to SHIF transition
Senior Counsel Paul Muite has accused the government of using the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) transition to loot over Ksh104 billion, with minimal investment in actual health system upgrades.
According to Muite, only one billion shillings was spent on the software required for the transition, while a staggering Ksh103 billion, he said, ended up in the pockets of a few well-connected individuals.
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“Software for unnecessary transitioning NHIF to SHA/SHIF costs taxpayers 104 billion; experts say the software’s cost was 1billion. 103 billion went into the pockets of a few,” the legal veteran wrote on his X on Monday, August 25, 2025.
The senior counsel condemned what he called unabated looting within the health sector, arguing that the so-called reforms have done little to improve access to quality and affordable healthcare for ordinary Kenyans.
Instead, he said, imaginary hospitals and health centres are being used as a front to siphon public funds while citizens continue to suffer.
“LOOTING continues unabated through imaginary hospitals and health centres. Kenyans are dying and can’t access affordable health care!” the statement read.
Muite’s claims echo broader concerns about the transparency and implementation of the new SHIF system, which officially took effect in 2024.
Critics have questioned the rushed rollout and lack of clarity on how funds are being used, while healthcare professionals and civil society groups continue to highlight inefficiencies, inadequate infrastructure, and overstretched public hospitals.
Govt on SHA
Data from the Social Health Authority (SHA) shows that Kenyans have embraced the new universal healthcare scheme, President William Ruto said.
The Head of State said 23.3 million Kenyans have already registered with SHA, with 93,251 registering on Monday, June 9, 2025.
The figures also show that 10,884 means-tested members paid their monthly premiums, contributing Ksh48.9 million, while 2,946 Kenyans enrolled in the Lipa SHA Pole Pole programme on the same day.
“Kenyans have started to see that SHA is paying bills for people around them,” he said.
Ruto said SHA is now touching the lives of many Kenyans and assured Kenyans that the provision of healthcare will only get better.
“In the next year, fundraisers for medical bills will reduce. People will no longer sell property to pay medical bills,” he said.
