Mumias East MP Peter Salasya has warned the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) leaders, stating that they risk being voted out in the 2027 general elections if they do not address the needs of the people.

He stressed that failure to change it would result in them being sent packing by the citizens.

Speaking on Sunday, March 16, 2025, Salasya expressed his concerns over the Social Health Authority (SHA) initiative, arguing that it is not functioning effectively. He criticized certain individuals close to President William Ruto, accusing them of failing to provide honest advice. He emphasized that the new health scheme has caused unnecessary complications and should be scrapped entirely.

Additionally, the lawmaker took issue with the executive order to merge state agencies and institutions. He vowed that they would not allow the collapse of critical institutions that were previously deemed essential by past administrations.

His remarks come just days after the ODM party entered into a coalition agreement with President Ruto’s UDA to collaborate within the government. This partnership has sparked mixed reactions, with some leaders and citizens questioning the effectiveness of the new alliance in addressing pressing national issues.

“I said their SHA plans are not working. There are people close to the President, but they are not telling him the truth. Just as the court rejected the new university funding model, we also want SHA to be completely rejected because cartels want to ruin things,” Salasya said.

“SHA has brought too many complications. Regarding the executive order to merge state agencies and institutions, we will not accept the collapse of institutions that previous leaders deemed important. We will question both ODM and Kenya Kwanza leaders, and if you do not change in 2027, all of you will go home.”

15 years back

The outspoken lawmaker criticized the SHA, claiming it has set Kenya’s healthcare system back by 15 years. According to him, SHA is ineffective and unlikely to succeed this year, in 2027, or beyond.

In a statement posted on his Instagram page on Monday, March 3, 2025, Salasya dismissed the notion that SHA is an improvement of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF)

“SHA has taken us back 15 years to where we were, and it had existed for 56 years. SHA will not work out this year nor next year or 2027….why is it that all contributors are not eligible to use SHA? Kuna kitu mahali inafichwa kuibia Wakenya from national coffers and general public,” Salasya stated.

The lawmaker raised concerns about SHA’s reliance on government funding to finance healthcare services at Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals. He noted that delays in disbursing funds from the national treasury make it difficult to sustain an effective health insurance system under SHA. Additionally, he criticized SHA’s referral process, which requires patients to first seek treatment at lower-level facilities before being referred to higher-tier hospitals. According to him, this process creates unnecessary delays in accessing healthcare.

“SHA depends on exchequer completely from Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals, and yet you know the exchequer takes long to be disbursed. And you must get a referral from these lower hospitals upwards; even up to now we haven’t started implementing the 2024/2025 budget only three months to its end,” he stated.

Salasya also questioned SHA’s ability to support treatment for chronic diseases, pointing out that the Treasury’s slow disbursement of funds would hinder such efforts. He contrasted this with NHIF, which he described as self-sustaining and capable of financing various programs, including Edu Afya, Linda Mama, and chronic disease care. He further noted that NHIF worked alongside private insurance firms to ensure coverage for chronic conditions, a model he believes SHA has failed to adopt.

“SHA also says exchequer to fund chronic diseases how and treasury doesn’t disburse money immediately compared to NHIF, which was self-sustainable without exchequer. NHIF funded Edu Afya, Linda Mama, chronic diseases, and they had a consortium of insurance companies and reinsurance of some chronic diseases,” he added.