Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale has announced that the government will settle all pending bills owed to hospitals under the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) within the next two months.
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, September 3, Duale stated that the payments, which run into billions, will be made once the National Treasury introduces a supplementary budget as directed by President William Ruto.
The first phase will focus on facilities owed between Ksh1 million and Ksh10 million. According to the CS, these smaller claims make up 92 per cent of the total debt, amounting to Ksh5.3 billion.
“These pending bills under NHIF are the reason we shut it down and started SHA. NHIF had become a den of corruption, where patients’ money was misused. As a government, we will not allow that to continue,” said Duale.
For claims above Ksh10 million, an independent team has been set up to verify the bills before payment. Duale insisted that this process is necessary to prevent fraudulent claims from draining public funds.
“Some people went to court to stop the verification process after realizing their claims were fake. The court ruled the committee unconstitutional, and I respect that decision. But the Constitution also obligates me to protect public money. If you want payment, your claims must be verified,” he added.
The CS linked the verification exercise to a wider crackdown on healthcare fraud. Just this week, the Ministry of Health submitted 1,188 files of alleged fraudulent claims to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Of these, 190 came from the Social Health Authority (SHA), while 998 were submitted by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC).
The facilities are accused of inflating bills, falsifying records, and even charging for services provided to non-existent patients.
“This action is a big step in protecting public funds and cleaning up Kenya’s healthcare system. It targets facilities and individuals who are dishonest and non-compliant,” said Duale.
The government says it is determined to strengthen the Social Health Authority (SHA), which replaced NHIF, and ensure Kenyans get value for money from the country’s healthcare system.
