The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has scheduled an audit on Social Health Authority (SHA) over privacy concerns.
Speaking on Wednesday, March 5, Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait said that while SHA had reached out to the ODPC and conducted a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), it did not exempt them from further scrutiny.
“They (SHA) have reached out to us and undertaken a Data Protection Impact Assessment, but that doesn’t mean we cannot go and do a post-audit. One of the places we have identified to do an audit is actually the digital health information. That is something we have scheduled as an office to undertake,” she said.
Additionally, Kassait highlighted the importance of third-party agreements in cases where data is hosted externally.
"What’s important when data is being hosted by a third party is the third-party agreement; that is absolutely important. In the case of SHA, they have written to us with a data protection impact assessment which we have assessed and identified gaps. We have insisted that when it comes to access to third-party data, they must get consent from the patients,” she added.
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The plan to audit SHA comes after a report by the Auditor General showed that the SHA system is not controlled or owned by the government.
Speaking on Tuesday, March 4, Ruto confirmed Gathungu's reports saying the system is run by a consortium of technology companies, ensuring the integrity of SHA and preventing fraudulent claims.
He said that the new system is designed to protect citizens' contributions and will not be financed by the government but will instead operate on a fee-for-service model.
"We are going to have a consortium of technology companies that is going to make sure that there are no fraudulent claims in SHA. They are going to make sure that that system will not be paid for by the government; it will be a fee-for-service facility that will make sure that we protect citizens' contributions," he said.
Ruto dismissed those criticizing the system, suggesting that their opposition stems from a desire to maintain avenues for corruption within the health sector.
"The people who are complaining are the fellows who have been stealing from us; they don't want a technology system that works because they want to continue stealing from us," he added.
