On 24 August 2025, President William Ruto stated that the digitisation of the Social Health Authority (SHA) system will help the government detect fraud. The promise was part of broader healthcare reforms aimed at making SHA more transparent and accountable through digital technology.

• Officials from the SHA and the Ministry of Health have stated that the digital platform can identify unusual claims, duplicate treatments, or suspicious hospital billing patterns more quickly than the old NHIF system. 
• Despite this, there are concerns that are still raised about the SHA digital sysytem. Some hospitals have complained that the system occasionally flags legitimate claims as suspicious, leading to delayed payments and disruptions in service delivery.
• There have also been concerns about cybersecurity and the protection of patients’ personal data within the digital platform. In addition, investigations and public reports suggest that the system is still facing accuracy challenges during its rollout phase, particularly in areas such as AI-based assessments, claims verification, and the classification of vulnerable households.
• Most importantly, investigations and audits found that SHA has lost billions of shillings through fraudulent claims, including “ghost hospitals” (facilities that exist on paper but not physically), fake patient admissions, double billing for services not provided and Inflated or fabricated treatment claims. An audit reported about KSh 11 billion lost to fraud between Oct 2024 and Apr 2025.
• The same scandal noted that many claims came from private hospitals submitting false or exaggerated bills.
• The government reports that there are nationwide crackdowns ongoing against hospitals and individuals abusing SHA and that there have been ongoing investigations hospital administrators, medical staff and officials linked to SHA systems. There’s further claims that some suspects have been arrested and charged in court over multimillion-shilling fraudulent claims. Moreover, there are reports that some hospitals have reportedly already been flagged or suspended over irregular claims. 

On 30 August 2025, President William Ruto announced that starting the following week, the government would pay SHA (Social Health Authority) contributions for Kenyans who do not have the capacity to pay. This was to vulnerable citizens who cannot afford health insurance, promising universal healthcare coverage through government subsidies.

• In April 2025, the Ministry of Health was set to give standardised guidelines for the payment of money to cover indigent and vulnerable households in the implementation of Universal Health Coverage committing to give the guidelines by April 28 2025. However, as of May 2026, there is still no public record of theguifelines having been prepared or implemented.
• In March 2026, it was reported that the Government had spent 3.56 Billion in the current financial year to cover health insurance premiums for some of the country’s poorest households, under a programme aimed at shielding vulnerable families from medical costs.
• However, there have also been complaints and investigations showing that many poor Kenyans are still being charged contributions they cannot afford because of problems with the means-testing system used by SHA. Some vulnerable households say they were classified incorrectly and are still expected to pay monthly premiums.

On 19th May 2023, the President of Kenya pledged ksh 300 million to fast-track the construction and upgrading of two hospitals in Murang’a County.

• On 3rd December 2023, Muranga county government launched new general wards at the Maragua and Kandara level 4 hospitals. There is however no official document showing a connection between the two. While appearing before the National Assembly’s Health Committee, PS Kimtai asked MPs to factor in a budget of around 1 billion to implement President Ruto’s directives on health projects. However, out of the amount, 700 million had been earmarked to fund three projects in Uasin Gishu county while the rest of the amount was to fund health projects in eight counties in the arid and semi-arid areas. There is was no mention of Murang’a County.
• As of May 2026, it is still not clear whether Murang’a County has received the ksh. 300 million but the President was spotted inspecting a Ksh. 200 milion trauma centre construction along Thika – Kennol Road on 25th April 2026 and made remarks that alluded to the national government having offered support to Murang’a County in building the facility. 

On 20th October, 2023, the President of Kenya promised to implement a digital health management information system that is progressive, responsive and sustainable for accelerated attainment of the highest standard of health for all Kenyans and to establish a fund to enhance health facilities. This included issuing 110,000 smartphones to the youth community health assistants.

• In January 2026, the CS reported major gains in health digitisation, with 10,277 facilities connected to national systems and 30,087 digital devices deployed, as well as strengthened human resources for health, anchored by 107,000 Community Health Promoters and improved UHC staff remuneration under SRC rates.
• In as much as the digitisation of the Healthcare system in Kenya commenced, the transition and processes have not been without corruption allegations and reported fraud irregularities. There have been numerous concerns about the state of healthcare in the country, including fraudulent SHA claims reported , the SHA registration scandal reported on 28th February 2026, and allegations of the SHA system being privately owned despite Kshs. 104.8 billion being spent on it.

On 19th November 2023, President William Ruto promised free healthcare for all Kenyans beginning January 2024 under the government’s Universal Healthcare Coverage initiative.

• There is no public record indicating that Kenyans are receiving free healthcare. Kenyans (both employed and unemployed) are paying for healthcare provision, including for the public health insurance (SHIF).

The Kenya Kwanza government proposed new NHIF rates in an effort to enhance healthcare accessibility for all Kenyans.

• NHIF was replaced by SHIF, which now mandates Kenyans to pay 2.75% of their gross salary.
• However, there have been challenges and uncertainty regarding SHA disbursements and utilization, which have yet to be fully enforced for essential services like emergency and ambulance recovery and cancer treatment.

The Kenya Kwanza government promised to redesign the delivery of health services and roll out a program to pay a stipend to the 100,000 community health workers or volunteers in the country, professionalize them, and include them in primary-healthcare delivery toward UHC.

• In February 2024, the government officially launched the community health promoters’ stipend and designated KES 3 billion for the monthly stipends to 107,000 CHPs. While the CHPs receive the stipend, it is inconsistent, especially with regard to the regularity of payments.

The Kenya Kwanza Government promised to establish a National fund for chronic and catastrophic illness and injury costs not covered (or with very restrictive cover) by insurance (cancer, diabetes, strokes & accident rehabilitation, pandemics) to be funded by combination of insurance levy and Government.

• The Kenya Kwanza Government established the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund vide the Social Health Insurance Act No. 16 of 2023. Per the Act, the purpose of the fund is meant to defray the costs of management of chronic illnesses after depletion of the social health insurance cover and to cover the costs of emergency treatment.
• The government allocated KES 8 Billion to the fund in the 2025/2026 financial year.
• In May 2026, the Health C.S has published a proposed revision of the fund’s allocation from KES 150,000  to KES 400,000 under the new SHA package.