Willis Otieno slams govt after RUPHA suspended SHA services
Human rights and constitutional lawyer Willis Otieno has criticised the government, accusing it of failing the health sector following the suspension of Social Health Authority (SHA) service by the Rural & Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA).
In an X post on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Otieno accused the government of misleading the public about the system’s effectiveness.
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“RUPHA has suspended the SHA system, branding it unsustainable and unreliable. That should end the government’s lies. If it were working, patients and providers, the real users, would be the first to say so,” the statement read in part.
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Otieno said the silence in public hospitals and anger in clinics tell a different story, one of failure. He dismissed the SHA platform as a broken scam propped up by press conferences, suggesting the Ministry of Health is more focused on public relations than fixing real issues in healthcare delivery.
“Instead, silence in hospitals and anger in clinics tell the truth: SHA is a broken scam propped up by press conferences. You cannot cure healthcare with propaganda,” he said.
Is SHA working?
The SHA system, once touted as a digital game-changer for health service delivery, now faces serious credibility issues following RUPHA’s exit.
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The association withdrew the SHA service, citing frustration among frontline health providers, and casts doubt on the viability of ongoing healthcare reforms.
RUPHA is calling for a total overhaul of the system, urging the government to consult providers before rolling out any further health tech initiatives.
Speaking on Monday, September 2025, RUPHA Chairperson Brian Lishenga said, “We will not be extending credit to SHA. They have already proven to be a bad borrower and a bad debtor. Hospitals have already advanced SHA credit worth Ksh76 billion. How much more do they want?”
Lishenga said the decision follows repeated instances of non-payment and what he described as ungrateful treatment of private hospitals by the SHA.
“The only thing we have received in return is public criticism from the minister calling hospitals fraudsters and cartels, despite the support we have provided to deliver health services to Kenyans,” he said.
The suspension affects all patients covered by SHA, although hospitals confirmed that emergency services will still be available on a cash basis to ensure critical care is not denied. Routine and elective services under SHA coverage will, however, be suspended until further notice.
