UHC manager clarifies SHA system outage concerns
By Cynthia Lodite, September 15, 2025Universal Health Care (UHC) manager Gilbert Osoro has clarified recent concerns raised over health care systems not working appropriately while admitting some faults at times with the system.
The UHC manager made his remarks on Monday, September 15, 2025, during an interview with a local media house, where he revealed that UHC has put up adequate mechanisms to ensure that the healthcare system is working.
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Osoro further admitted that indeed, UHC, the SHA system, may be down at times; however, the Social Health Authority has backup plans that ensure continuity of service.
“Once in a while, just like any other system, we could have system downtimes, but we’ve put into place adequate mechanisms to ensure that there’s the continuity of services,” Osoro said.
On his part, the UHC manager argued that some of the systems put in place have overseen proper usage through online self-registration and onboarding of over 9.3 million dependents.
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Osoro has also revealed that the Social Health Authority is currently implementing a robust state-of-the-art system expected to help curb any downtime, while also acknowledging it is a work in progress.
“I want to tell Kenyans that indeed we have a robust system that is being implemented as we speak. It is a work in progress, but what I want to say is that the system is working, and it is a state-of-the-art system because now from your digital platform, be it from the health care provider,” Osoro said.
He also detailed that doctors now have a new application that allows doctors to be able to launch pre-authorizations so long as they are within the vicinity of the hospital.
“For the doctors, we have a new application that allows you to be able to launch pre-authorizations so long as you are within the vicinity of the hospital. I want Kenyans to understand that this is a very robust system,” he added.
Atwoli demands to SHA’s IT operations
Osoro’s remarks follow a recent demand by the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli where he demanded that the Social Health Authority (SHA) should be granted full control of its Information Technology (IT) system, warning that the agency’s independence is being compromised by external interference.
According to Atwoli, SHA’s operations are “constrained” because its IT platform remains under the control of the Digital Health Authority (DHA) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), despite the law establishing it as an autonomous institution.
“At present, SHA relies on an IT system controlled by DHA and MoH to process and pay hospitals, and this has created challenges because the authority has no mandate over authentication of claims or determining who should be paid,” Atwoli said, adding that the loopholes created have left the institution exposed.
He insisted that workers’ contributions must be safeguarded by giving SHA full control of its financial management.
“It is the position of Cotu (K) that workers’ hard-earned money should be managed directly by SHA as provided in law. Unless SHA is given full control of its IT platform, workers may lose faith in the institution, thus affecting compliance and service provision.”