Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has urged President William Ruto to return the National Health Insurance Fund’s (NHIF) operations in the healthcare system.
In a statement via his official X account on Sunday, November 24, 2024, Kalonzo said that Ruto’s cancellation of Adani’s deals with Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) was not enough.
Kalonzo, in addition, insisted that Ruto should also cancel the Adani deal with the Social Health Authority (SHA) and Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), adding that no one should sit when the country’s foundations are shaken.
“No one in this country can be sitting pretty when our foundations are shaken. We must answer the psalmist’s question, ‘If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ It is not enough to stop the Adani deals in JKIA and KETRACO. Mr Ruto, stop Adani in SHA/SHIF and go back to NHIF!,” Kalonzo said.
Kalonzo on 2027 elections
Apart from the reforms in the health sector, the Wiper Party leader asked the Head of State to form an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) that represents the interests of all citizens in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
He further urged leaders who have declared their interest in vying for various seats in the next general elections to put on hold the talk and focus on current issues affecting the country.
“We need an IEBC that is not ‘user-friendly’ but represents the interests of all our citizens. I am calling all those leaders to put aside the 2027 talk and focus on 2024. We have a lot to do to reclaim our country,” he said.
No one in this country can be sitting pretty when our foundations are shaken. We must answer the psalmist question, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
— Kalonzo Musyoka (@skmusyoka) November 24, 2024
It is not enough to stop the Adani deals in JKIA and KETRACO. Mr. Ruto, stop Adani in SHA/SHIF and… pic.twitter.com/50PKfadTho
Govt on SHA deals
On Friday, November 22, 2024, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said there is no agreement between SHA and any mobile network operator for healthcare digitization.
He emphasized that the current arrangement stems from a pre-existing contract inherited by SHA from the now-defunct NHIF.
According to Mwaura, the inherited system, called HICS, was the responsibility of NHIF before SHA took over.
“There is no contract between SHA and any service provider on digitization of Universal Healthcare Software. The existing contract that SHA inherited was between the defunct NHIF and the service providers of the system they were using called HICS,” Mwaura stated.
He further clarified that the ongoing digitization efforts are part of a larger government initiative involving various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and private firms such as Safaricom PLC, Apiero LTD, and Konvergenz Network Solutions.
Ruto on Adani deals
Speaking during the State of the Nation address on Thursday, November 21, 2024, President William Ruto announced the cancellation of JKIA and the KETRACO energy transmission project deals involving Indian conglomerate Adani following revelations of potential integrity issues.
During his speech, Ruto reiterated his stance, citing corruption concerns as the basis for terminating the agreements involving JKIA and KETRACO.
“Accordingly, I now direct, in furtherance of the principles enshrined in Article 10 of the constitution on transparency and accountability and based on new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations, that the procuring agencies within the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA expansion public-private partnership.
“I have said that because of the information provided to us by partner nations, I have directed agencies within the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA expansion public-private partnership transaction as well as the recently concluded KETRACO transmission public-private partnership transaction,” Ruto declared.
