A Nairobi court has withdrawn Sh17.5 million graft charges against former Social Health Authority (SHA) Chief Executive Officer Elijah Wachira and his co-accused Robert Ingasira.
Milimani Principal Magistrate Daisy Mutai allowed the prosecution’s application to withdraw the charges on October 6, 2026, under Section 87(a) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The decision followed a review of the evidence in the case, with Wachira’s defence arguing that the former SHA boss had no direct involvement in the alleged misappropriation of funds.
His lawyers told the court that Wachira had left office before some of the transactions under investigation took place.
They also argued that a review of 2,235 pages of investigative documents had not revealed evidence linking him to the alleged offence.
The withdrawal offers relief to Wachira, who had denied the charges when he appeared in court in November 2025.
He had been accused of misappropriating Sh17,591,473 belonging to SHA between October 2024 and May 2025, alongside other suspects.
According to the prosecution, the funds were allegedly siphoned through fraudulent medical claims submitted under the name of Archprime Medical Clinic in Oyugis, Homa Bay County.
Five other suspects, including officials associated with the clinic, had initially been charged in connection with the alleged scheme. The charges included conspiracy to defraud, falsification of health information, uttering false documents and money laundering.
Wachira’s co-accused Ingasira, who also served at SHA, faced allegations relating to the handling of the funds in question.
The case emerged amid investigations into suspected fraudulent claims submitted to the authority, which replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) as part of the government’s health financing reforms.
Wachira was appointed NHIF chief executive in October 2023 before the transition to SHA. He was later suspended as the authority investigated concerns surrounding its operations and payments to healthcare providers.
The withdrawal of the charges against Wachira and Ingasira does not amount to a conviction or an acquittal following a full trial. The wider case against the remaining accused persons is separate from the decision to withdraw the charges against the two former SHA officials.
