Salasya accuses SHA of politicising healthcare payments
By Aloys Michael, August 21, 2025Mumias East MP Peter Salasya has raised alarm over the politicisation of the Social Health Authority (SHA), accusing the government of turning the newly established health fund into a tool for rewarding political allies and punishing dissenting voices.
In a press statement on his X account released on Thursday, August 21, 2025, Salasya decried what he termed the weaponisation of healthcare under SHA, warning that political interference is putting the lives of ordinary Kenyans at risk.
“When the government announced the dissolution of NHIF and its replacement with SHA, the nation was promised equity, fairness, and an end to corruption. Unfortunately, what we are witnessing today is far from that noble vision,” the statement read.
According to the legislator, SHA is being manipulated to favour hospitals that align politically with the ruling coalition, while sidelining those that maintain their independence or criticise the government.
“Evidence is emerging that SHA is being used selectively to reward those who align politically with the current regime while punishing hospitals, especially faith-based ones, that dare to question or speak truth to power,” he claimed.
Salasya singled out religious leaders who support the government as key beneficiaries of smooth facilitation of payments, while others, particularly those advocating for justice and accountability, are reportedly suffering delays or complete denial of SHA disbursements.
“Bishops and church leaders who openly support the Kenya Kwanza government are reaping big through smooth facilitation, while those who have stood firm in defending integrity, justice, and good governance are finding their hospitals strangled through delayed or denied payments,” he said.
The MP termed this development unacceptable, warning that politicising healthcare is tantamount to endangering lives.
“When you play politics with hospitals, you are playing politics with the lives of ordinary Kenyans who depend on these institutions for treatment. That is unacceptable,” he wrote.
Favour for treatment?
He further criticised SHA for replicating the same issues of corruption and favouritism that plagued its predecessor, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), despite being created under the banner of reform.
“The intent behind SHA should never have been to create another political cartel,” Salasya said.
“Its mandate is to deliver fairness, restore public trust, and protect the sick and the vulnerable. Instead, we are seeing the same corruption, the same selectivity, and the same inequality, only under a new name.”
In a call for transparency, the MP demanded that SHA publish all payment data to hospitals across the country, urging full disclosure to expose favouritism.
“I call upon SHA to immediately publish transparent data on payments made to hospitals across the country. Let Kenyans see who is reaping and who is being starved. Equity must not be a slogan; it must be a practice,” the statement read.
Salasya also appealed to faith-based institutions and church leaders not to bow to political pressure.
“I urge church leaders and hospital administrators not to bow to intimidation. Stand firm. Kenya belongs to all of us, not to a regime or a clique of cartels hiding under the cover of reform.”
He called on Parliament to urgently investigate SHA operations, warning that healthcare reforms must not become tools for political patronage.
“As Parliament, we must interrogate SHA with urgency, demand accountability, and protect Kenyans from a healthcare system that risks collapsing under political manipulation,” he said.