By Faith Nyabuto
Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale has sparked public outrage after revealing massive misuse of Social Health Authority (SHA) funds in non-government hospitals.
Duale said some hospitals conspired to defraud the government through inflated equipment service fees and fraudulent claims, prompting authorities to block suspicious payouts.
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The revelations raised concern over poor accountability and missing documentation that has allowed such fraud to go undetected.
Murang’a County Deputy Governor Stephen Munania termed the equipment service fee scheme as a misguided initiative that ignored the realities of devolved health services.
He insisted that county governments should be empowered to implement health policies at the local level.
“All hospitals should be properly funded so they can acquire the necessary equipment. County administrators must handle devolved functions by identifying hospitals that require different machines. Every county should invest its own resources to ensure the equipment works effectively,” Munania said.
Makueni Senator Dan Manzo added that most machines supplied nationwide by the national government were ineffective.
He urged the Ministry of Health to focus on policy while leaving implementation and funding to counties.
“The national government should negotiate with governors to ensure cheap and reliable health services for Kenyans. Meanwhile, the National Assembly health committee should intensify its oversight role to modernize the medical sector,” Manzo said.
Aldai MP Marianne Kitany emphasized that access to healthcare should remain a national priority, warning that fraudulent insurance claims only weaken the system.
“The insurance scheme must only pay genuine claims approved within the framework agreed between county governments and SHA. Hospitals should therefore be honest with the claims they submit,” Kitany said.
The debate comes at a time when the health sector faces mounting criticism over corruption, poor service delivery, and lack of accountability in both national and county-level management.
