Willis Otieno: Ksh104B SHA rollout was digital highway robbery
Outspoken constitutional lawyer Willis Otieno has thrown a jab at the government’s transition from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA), calling it a digital highway robbery that costs Kenyans billions while delivering nothing in return.
In an X statement on Monday, August 25, 2025, the lawyer questioned the integrity and purpose of the SHA rollout, accusing senior officials of engineering a grand heist disguised as health sector reform.
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“The so-called ‘transition’ from NHIF to SHA was nothing but a digital highway robbery. A software that experts say cost Ksh1 billion was inflated to Ksh104 billion, meaning Ksh103 billion was pocketed by a few well-connected thieves,” his statement read.
The transition, which was touted as a critical step toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), has drawn widespread criticism for its lack of transparency, ballooning costs, and minimal impact on real healthcare delivery.
Otieno pointed out that while the government found funds to fuel the SHA project, it failed to fix the crumbling NHIF system with far less.
“This regime had Ksh104 billion to loot through SHA, but couldn’t find Ksh30 billion to fix NHIF. The math is simple: in Kenya, stealing is always funded; saving lives never is,” Otieno wrote.
He went further to accuse the government of creating “phantom solutions” that look good on paper but fail to deliver tangible services to the public.
What do Kenyans get in return?
“What do Kenyans get in return? Imaginary hospitals, fake health centres, and paperwork scams while ordinary citizens are left to die because they can’t access affordable healthcare,” the lawyer said.
His comments come at a time when Kenyans are grappling with rising healthcare costs, unclear SHA registration procedures, and growing confusion over how the new system works.
Civil society groups and professional associations have also raised red flags about the opaque procurement processes involved in SHA’s rollout, with demands for a forensic audit into how public funds were spent.
Otieno has called for urgent accountability measures and a return to healthcare reforms that prioritise patient welfare over political profiteering.
“Until we treat healthcare as a life-saving service rather than a looting opportunity, Kenyans will keep paying the price, with their lives,” he said.
