President William Ruto has vowed to wipe out fraud in Kenya’s health sector, warning that hospitals and individuals caught stealing from the Social Health Authority (SHA) will not only be shut down but also forced to refund stolen money and face prosecution.
Speaking on Wednesday when he met leaders from Kiambu County, the President said digitisation under SHA has exposed the rot that crippled the now defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which collapsed under a staggering Ksh30 billion debt.
“The digitisation of the health system under SHA is what is making us detect all the fraudulent claims, all the ghost hospitals and all the fake patients attempting to defraud the health sector. We have already closed close to 1,000 health facilities and we are not stopping there,” Ruto said.
The Head of State declared that the war on health fraud is far from over, promising Kenyans that every shilling meant for patients will be protected.
“We are going to make sure they refund the money if they have been paid. We are going to prosecute them because it is criminal to steal money meant for patients,” he added.
Ruto’s tough talk comes just days after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed that fraudulent claims worth Ksh10.6 billion had been rejected under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), with another Ksh5.1 billion under review for possible fraud.
Addressing the press on Monday, August 25, Duale said investigations had already unearthed elaborate schemes, including falsification of records, upcoding of procedures, and billing for non-existent patients.
Several hospitals have been flagged for bizarre claims, among them Nabuala Hospital in Bungoma, accused of filing multiple Caesarean claims for the same patient within days, and Jambo Jipya Hospital in Mtwapa, which allegedly billed for surgeries when patients had normal deliveries.
Other facilities cited include clinics in Mandera that colluded to submit 312 fraudulent claims on the same dates, falsified documentation at Kotiende Medical Centre in Homa Bay, suspicious inpatient admissions at Vebeneza Medical Centre in Nairobi, and exaggerated claims at New Manyalo Nursing Home in Wajir.
Meanwhile, MPs allied to the Kenya Moja faction have issued a 48-hour ultimatum for CS Duale to resign over the alleged scandal or face impeachment.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Kitutu Chache MP Anthony Kibagendi accuse Duale of abetting fraud that has cost taxpayers billions, insisting that leadership accountability is the only way to restore trust in the new health scheme.
