Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has come out to defend the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying the new health cover is working and helping more Kenyans access hospitals.
Speaking on Sunday, Duale said the programme has improved services for teachers, police officers and other civil servants. He insisted that the noise around SHA is coming from hospitals that were shut down over fraud.
“I want to say this clearly, the people complaining are those whose hospitals we closed because of fraud. They cannot scare me,” Duale said.
He was responding to fresh criticism from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who had earlier claimed the SHA system was failing and not helping Kenyans.
Duale said things are now better under SHA compared to the old system. According to him, teachers can now access up to 6,000 hospitals across the country, including big referral hospitals. He said before, they could only go to about 600 facilities.
“Today teachers have more options. We are also making sure their benefits are protected from fake and dishonest facilities,” he added.
He also asked civil servants to download the Afya Yangu app on their phones to check their benefits, balances and nearby hospitals.
On his side, Gachagua, speaking at a church service in Murang’a County, said the SHA system is struggling and warned that it could fail. He claimed teachers are facing challenges accessing services after being moved to the new cover.
“Teachers are suffering. Some services are expensive and others are not covered,” Gachagua said, urging them to question their union leaders.
The exchange between the two leaders shows the growing disagreement over the new health system, even as the government continues to push for its full implementation.
Duale maintained that the reforms are meant to improve access to healthcare and make the system more transparent, especially by removing fraud in the sector.
