Five suspects will be arraigned on Monday over their alleged role in a widening fraud scandal at the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed on Friday that the suspects were picked up after weeks of scrutiny into files submitted by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale last month.
According to investigators, the case is just the beginning. At least 1,188 files tied to suspected fraud are still under active probe, with more arrests expected once the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions gives the green light.
“Currently, five suspects are in custody pending arraignment on Monday, October 6. Efforts to apprehend additional suspects are already underway,” the DCI said in a statement.
The suspects are expected to face a raft of charges under the Penal Code, the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Social Health Insurance Act, and the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act.
The scandal first came to light on September 1, when SHA and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) handed over more than 1,100 case files to detectives. The documents pointed to systemic fraud within health facilities, ranging from falsified medical records to billing for non-existent patients.
Health CS Aden Duale later revealed that the cases had been grouped into three categories: 24 health facilities where fraud had been confirmed, 61 facilities with ongoing cases, and 105 that had been closed by KMPDC but still had contracts with SHA.
KMPDC also submitted 998 files against facilities accused of breaking the law.
Among the irregularities flagged were exaggerated bills, false claims for services never offered, and inflating outpatient visits into inpatient admissions.
A multi-agency team led by the DCI has since been tasked with tracing assets believed to have been acquired through the scheme.
