Sifuna slams SHA, eCitizen over funds misappropriation
By Kenneth Mwenda, August 24, 2025Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has launched a scathing attack on the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the government’s eCitizen platform, accusing both of enabling large-scale misappropriation of public funds while genuine health facilities collapse.
Speaking during a church service at Jesus Teaching Ministry (JTM) in Donholm, Embakasi East, on Sunday, August 24, 2025, Sifuna cited the closure of St. Mary’s Hospital, where he was born, as evidence of government neglect, contrasting its financial struggles with billions claimed to be siphoned to ghost facilities.
“Wakati shirika lina toa pesa kulipa hospitali gushi, hospitali hewa, na wakati hospitali za kweli kama St. Mary’s Hospital Mumias imefungwa kwa ajili ya deni, wanataka sifuna anyamaze. Badala walipe St. Mary’s Mumias, wanalipa hospitali ambazo haziexist,” he charged.
His remarks come after the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) warned that weak regulation and budget cuts at the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) had enabled SHA to funnel money into fraudulent facilities. The revelations followed media reports claiming SHA disbursed Ksh20 million to a non-existent hospital in Homa Bay, a claim the authority later denied.
Billions missing on eCitizen
Sifuna linked the scandal to broader governance failures, including the controversial eCitizen payment system, which lawmakers recently said is riddled with irregularities and unaccounted billions.
“Wakati ya mbako eCitizen inapoteza bilioni zaidi ya arobaini, wanataka tunyamaze tu. Tukizungumunda, waratuambia tutawanyorosha. Lakini kabla watunyoroshe, Mwenyezi Mungu atakuwa amewanyoroshe,” the Senator declared, drawing applause from congregants.
His criticism echoes concerns raised in Parliament last month when the Public Accounts Committee grilled Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo over Ksh44.8 billion flagged as missing from the platform. Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has since warned that the government lacks full control over eCitizen, leaving critical functions in the hands of private vendors and exposing billions in revenue to possible leakages.
Sifuna also cited theft in the education sector, accusing government officials of presiding over systemic looting while punishing those who question it.
“Wakati tunasema pesa za capitation za shule zikiibiwa, wanataka tusiseme. Lakini hatutanyamaza,” he insisted.
The ODM Secretary-General’s remarks add to mounting political pressure, with legislators from across the divide demanding accountability for funds.