Senior Counsel Paul Muite has sharply criticised the government over its response to reported looting scandals involving the Social Health Authority (SHA), highlighting a lack of accountability amid revelations of substantial fraudulent claims.

In an X post dated January 29, 2026, Muite wrote: “No arrests; only deadly silence by those in power. What else do you need to know to figure out who those looters are? 11B, in addition to the 103B for the SHA software stolen in advance of the launch. SHA is working, we keep being told; yes, it’s working for the looters!”

The remarks reference an audit by the Ministry of Health covering October 2024 to April 2025, which identified Ksh11 billion lost through fraudulent claims, mainly from private hospitals under the Universal Health Coverage scheme.

Facilities are said to have converted outpatient services to inpatient admissions for higher payouts, billed for unrendered services, inflated charges, or submitted claims for excessive caesarean sections beyond WHO thresholds.

Duale response

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, however, addressed the allegations in a local TV interview on January 28, 2026, rejecting claims of widespread losses.

“As of this evening, we have rejected 11.6 billion fraudulent claims,” he said. “We can tell you about different health facilities, both private and public. Facilities made claims, and the system picked and went through different valuations and clinical reviews, and we are not paying.”

Duale attributed much of the fraud attempts to previous NHIF exploiters now transitioning to SHA. “So many of the fraudulent facilities that have milked NHIF since independence migrated to SHA, but little did they know the system has changed,” he explained.

He emphasised the SHA’s AI-driven safeguards: “I want to make it clear to the people of Kenya, moving forward, every coin of a Kenyan he has paid for his health care insurance, if you steal it, the system will detect you, flag you, and the government will prosecute you.”

The CS dismissed some media reports as “sensational reporting,” adding, “Screaming headlines sell. If you say SHA is working, it will not sell, but screaming headlines will get out of the shell.”