Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has filed a court petition to stop the launch of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
In a statement on Tuesday, October 1, Omtatah disclosed that he filed the petition together with Eliud Matindi and Magare Gikenyi, citing concerns over the lack of legislation to operationalise the fund.
The lawmaker also stated that they sought to quash the government's agreement with Safaricom for the provision of the Integrated Information Technology System for Universal Healthcare.
"Filed a court petition together with Eliud Matindi & Magare Gikenyi to stop the launch of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), we also seek to quash the contract between the government and the Safaricom Consortium, citing concerns over the lack of legislation to operationalise the fund," Omtatah remarked.
He added, "We are asking the court to suspend and eventually annul the government’s decision to contract the Safaricom Consortium comprising Safaricom Plc, Konvergenz Network Solutions, and Apeiro Limited to provide the Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System for Universal Health Care."
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He claimed that the subsidiary legislation to operationalise the Social Health Insurance Act is not in place, thus rendering the implementation of the SHA unconstitutional.
On October 19, 2023, Kenya kickstarted a new chapter in the healthcare system as President William Ruto signed four new bills into law.
The four bills were the Primary Health Care Act, 2023, the Digital Health Act, 2023, the Facility Improvement Financing Act, 2023 and the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023.
Consequently, the Social Health Authority (SHA) was established to replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
SHA is mandated to manage the three healthcare funds established through the four healthcare bills.
Read Also: From NHIF to SHA: Over 1.5M Kenyans Enroll, Why You Need to Register and Benefits [Full Procedure]
The three funds under SHA include the Primary Healthcare Fund (PHF), the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIL).
It is important to note that each fund will serve a specific purpose and will be available to all Kenyans who register with SHA.
