Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has voiced grave concerns over the transition of staff from the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the newly established Social Health Authority (SHA).

Speaking under Standing Order 53(1) during the Senate seating on May 27, 2025, Khalwale demanded clarity from the Standing Committee on Health regarding the employment status of thousands of NHIF employees caught in the midst of this bureaucratic shift.

Khalwale highlighted a letter dated November 21, 2024, from the Secretary-CEO of the Public Service Commission, which mandated former NHIF staff to immediately acknowledge receipt and decide whether to accept or reject terms of temporary deployment.

This directive, he argued, plunged the workforce into a state of “anxiety, panic, and confusion,” especially as the six-month contract period outlined in the letter expired on May 22, 2025.

“The Secretary-CEO of the Public Service Commission, in a letter dated November 21, 2024, demanded that former NHIF staff immediately acknowledge receipt and decide on their temporary deployment terms, plunging them into anxiety, panic, and confusion,” Boni Khalwale noted.

The senator’s intervention came as part of a broader national debate on the SHA’s role in Kenya’s healthcare reforms. Established under the Social Health Insurance Act of 2023, the SHA aims to provide financial risk protection and facilitate equitable access to quality healthcare.

Uncertainty plagues NHIF-SHA transition

The transition from NHIF to SHA has been marred by uncertainty, particularly concerning the fate of NHIF‘s approximately 1,700 employees and Khalwale’s specific demands to the Standing Committee on Health included three critical points: Recruitment plans and sourcing: He sought details on the total number of staff the SHA intends to recruit to fill its approved establishment and whether these positions would be exclusively reserved for former NHIF employees.

Exit packages for non-appointed Staff; Khalwale called for clarity on the approved exit packages for NHIF staff who would not be absorbed by the SHA and choose to retire from public service.

Redeployment plans; the senator urged the committee to outline a comprehensive redeployment plan for staff not appointed by the SHA but wishing to remain within the public service. This plan, he insisted, should specify the capacities or positions they would hold and whether their current terms of employment would be retained.