Salasya slams Ruto for defending SHA, says Kenya’s problems start at top
By Nancy Marende, August 27, 2025Mumias East Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Salasya has criticised President William Ruto for defending the Social Health Authority (SHA).
This follows the head of state’s assurance to Kenyans that SHA will deliver quality services after the government eliminated fraud from the system amid growing uproar and scrutiny over irregular disbursements, including payments made to ghost facilities.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, Salasya stated that the Head of State’s remarks show that Kenya’s problems begin at the very top of leadership.
“How can you advise such a person, despite all the allegations and facts, still believing SHA is the best? Now I see where the problems of Kenya are, and they stop with who,” Salasya said.
President Ruto, while defending the Authority, stated that digitisation was strengthening accountability and exposing loopholes that previously allowed corruption to thrive under the now-defunct NHIF.
“The digitisation process of SHA is what is making us able to detect all the fraudulent claims, all the ghost hospitals and fake patients. The theft that brought down NHIF until it had debts of over 30 billion shillings cannot happen inside SHA,” Ruto said.
The President further revealed that nearly 1,000 health facilities had already been shut down due to fraud-related claims, warning that those implicated would not only have to refund the stolen funds but also face prosecution.
“We are not going to stop at closing facilities. We will also ensure that they refund the money if they have indeed been paid. And thirdly, we will prosecute them because it is a criminal act to steal money intended for patients. It is a crime to steal public resources using any means. So watch this pace; SHA is going to work because we are going to eliminate fraud,” Ruto added.
SHA website
His remarks come a day after the government dismissed claims circulating online that the SHA had removed a list of hospitals from its website.
In a statement on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, the State Department for Medical Services and the SHA clarified that no such action had been taken and reassured Kenyans that the information being shared was false.
“The Social Health Authority (SHA) has not removed any hospital list from its website,” the statement read in part.
The Authority explained that the list of health facilities that have received payments under the Social Health Insurance Fund remains publicly accessible. It directed Kenyans to its official website, where the document is available for download.
The government emphasised its commitment to transparency and accountability in the rollout of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), stating that the public will be regularly updated.
“SHA remains committed to transparency and keeping Kenyans informed,” the Authority assured.