Willis Otieno: Billions vanish in healthcare as patients still pay out of pocket
By Paulette Mboga, August 25, 2025Lawyer Willis Otieno has raised alarm over what he terms a grand heist in the country’s healthcare sector, accusing government officials of siphoning billions of shillings through “ghost hospitals” that do not exist.
According to him, while ordinary Kenyans continue to struggle to pay for basic medical services, funds deducted monthly from workers’ payslips and small-scale earners are being looted in the shadows.
Otieno painted a grim picture of the situation, saying that despite promises of affordable and dignified healthcare, patients are still being forced to buy their own medicine, while hospitals remain understaffed and under-resourced.
Taking his statement on X on Monday, August 25, 2025, “They told mama mboga, boda boda riders, and old villagers to pay or borrow for healthcare. They promised dignity. Instead, they looted the money through ghost hospitals that don’t even exist,” he lamented.
No relief for patients
Since January, the government has been deducting contributions to the Social Health Authority (SHA) from Kenyan workers.
This deduction, Otieno argued, was supposed to improve access to healthcare, reduce the burden of out-of-pocket expenses, and ensure that even the most vulnerable citizens could access quality medical services. Instead, he says the billions collected have disappeared into fraudulent schemes.
“Check your payslip since January,” Otieno urged citizens. “Every month, the government has been deducting money for SHA. Billions taken from workers, mama mboga, and boda riders to fund ghost hospitals that only exist on paper. Money that could have paid school fees, bought food, or built your life.”
Otieno’s claims echo growing concerns among Kenyans who say they have not felt the impact of the mandatory deductions. Many hospitals still lack essential drugs, leading families to dig deeper into their pockets to purchase medicine privately. At the same time, cases of children dying in understaffed wards continue to surface, highlighting the dire state of public healthcare.
The lawyer is now calling for accountability and transparency in the use of SHA funds. He urged Kenyans not to remain silent, warning that without public outcry, more money will vanish while lives are lost.
As frustrations mount, Otieno’s remarks are likely to intensify debate on the government’s healthcare reforms, with many questioning whether the dream of universal healthcare has been hijacked by corruption.