President William Ruto has vowed to bring order to Kenya’s health sector by targeting fraudulent practices that have drained billions of shillings from public coffers.

Speaking on Wednesday, August 27, 2027, Ruto declared that the ongoing digitisation of the Social Health Authority (SHA) will not only expose corruption but also ensure accountability across the health system.

“Ile wizi iliangisha NHIF mpaka kukawa na deni ya 30 billion haiwezi kufanyika ndani ya SHA. We will make sure,” Ruto said, pointing to the deep-rooted fraud that had crippled the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

According to the President, the SHA digitisation process is already bearing fruit by unmasking fraudulent claims, ghost hospitals, and fake patients who, for years, siphoned money meant for genuine health services.

“The digitisation process of SHA is what is making us detect all the fraudulent claims, all the ghost hospitals and all the fake patients that are in attendance to carry out fraud in our health sector,” he stated.

Ruto revealed that nearly 1,000 health facilities have already been closed after being found complicit in the scam. However, he insisted that shutting them down is not enough.

“I want to promise the people of Kenya that we have already closed almost 1,000 health facilities. We are not going to stop at closing the facilities. We are also going to make sure that they refund the money if ever they have been paid,” he said.

The President emphasised that punitive measures will go further than administrative action. Perpetrators of fraud in the health sector will face criminal prosecution.

“We are going to prosecute them because it is criminal to steal money meant for patients. It is criminal to steal public resources using whatever means,” Ruto declared.

Universal health coverage

His warning comes amid a renewed government push to make SHA the backbone of universal health coverage. Ruto stressed that restoring integrity to the health system is central to building trust among citizens and ensuring that resources are used effectively to deliver services. “Watch this space. SHA is going to work,” he assured.

The President’s statement underscores his administration’s bid to distance SHA from the scandals that plagued NHIF, which left behind a debt of Sh30 billion. By leveraging digitisation, the government hopes to seal loopholes and restore public confidence in the scheme.

With the health sector being one of the most sensitive areas of public service, Ruto’s hard stance signals an uncompromising approach to those who have, for years, benefited from corrupt networks at the expense of ordinary Kenyans.