The government has pledged to settle more than Sh5.3 billion in unpaid bills left by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund within two months, in a move officials say is key to restoring faith in the country’s healthcare system.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said President William Ruto had instructed the Treasury to prepare a supplementary budget to cover the arrears, which hospitals have long blamed for crippling services.
“The President has given us a directive to ensure all NHIF pending bills are settled,” Mr Duale told reporters in Kakamega on Tuesday. “We are waiting for the Treasury’s supplementary budget to access the funds.”
The announcement came hours before the launch of the government’s new Taifa-Care scheme at Bukhungu Stadium, part of a broader shift to the Social Health Authority (SHA). The authority is designed to replace the scandal-hit NHIF with what officials describe as a more transparent and accountable system.
“We are determined to clear these pending bills because healthcare services cannot be compromised,” Mr Duale said. “Hospitals must be paid on time and patients should not suffer.”
To ease pressure, Mr Duale said the SHA would release Sh100 million by mid-August to Kakamega County’s Level 5 hospital, one of many public facilities struggling with delayed reimbursements.
He also unveiled a new plan with county governments to tighten control of medical supplies, promising a shared system within weeks to track medicines and reduce theft from hospitals.
Governor Fernandes Barasa of Kakamega welcomed the move, calling it “a huge relief” for local health services. He said about 800,000 of the county’s 1.8 million residents had registered with the SHA so far, but warned that more work was needed to ensure full enrolment.
According to figures shared by Mr Barasa, smaller Level 2 and 3 hospitals in Kakamega are owed Sh72 million, 15 Level 4 hospitals are owed Sh55 million, while the main referral facility, Level 5, is owed Sh166 million.
The government insists the reforms will not only address debts but also close the loopholes that allowed corruption to fester at the NHIF. Critics, however, say the test will be whether hospitals begin to receive money on time — and whether patients notice any real change.
About the Author
