Ruto denies Sh104bn SHA technology contract

President William Ruto has dismissed claims that the government entered into a controversial Sh104 billion contract with Safaricom and Apeiro Limited for the Social Health Authority (SHA) technology system.

Speaking on Tuesday evening at the Presidential Townhall held during the National Health Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Ruto defended the government's investment in digital health, saying the technology was designed to improve transparency and accountability in the management of SHA services.

“There is no Sh104 billion contract. What we have done is design a digital system to make sure that everything is visible. Every treatment must be traceable, and every payment must be accounted for,” Ruto said.

He explained that the government had not purchased the technology outright but had engaged investors who own the equipment, with the State paying for the services provided.

His remarks were echoed by Digital Health Agency Chief Executive Anthony Lenaiyara, who rejected claims that SHA had committed Sh104 billion to technology upgrades.

“It is not correct or true that SHA has undertaken any upgrade or invested Sh104 billion in technology upgrades. What we did is build a digital superhighway comprising 43 systems to support Universal Health Coverage,” Lenaiyara said.

Lenaiyara said the technology infrastructure had been rolled out without requiring health facilities to purchase the devices, adding that the system had transformed the processing and accountability of SHA claims.

He contrasted the new system with the former National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) model, where claims were processed using physical files that moved between different offices for verification and approval.

Ruto also addressed other government programmes, saying the State had mobilised resources to construct 23,000 additional classrooms to ease pressure caused by shortages of learning spaces.