Claims Ruto allies could benefit from SHIF rollout raise eyebrows

From left: Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri, Medical Services PS Harry Kimtai, Health CS Debra Mulongo Barasa, Public Health PS Mary Muthoni and former Social Health Authority(SHA) Board Chairman Timothy Olweny during the SHA public participation on the benefit package and Tariffs at KICC, Nairobi, on August 30, 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The National Assembly’s Health Committee has summoned Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa, National Treasury CS John Mbadi and Attorney General Dorcas Oduor ahead of the roll out of the Social Health Insurance Fund (Shif) next week.

The MPs want the officials to make public details on purchasing the Sh104.8 billion Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System (IHTS), a key component of the Shif programme, and answer pertinent queries.

They are expected to appear on Monday, just a day before the official rollout of the fund that is going to be administered by the Social Health Authority.

But as the dawn of a new medical insurance scheme draws closer, questions surrounding the expediency in execution of the new information system, its necessity and the single- sourcing of companies to implement it have emerged.

Revelations that President William Ruto allies stand to benefit from its roll out have come to the fore, further casting doubt on the intentions of the pioneers of the new system.

The system, a cog in the Universal Health Program, is set to be implemented over 12 years with Safaricom PLC as the lead partner in the consortium responsible for the project.

Its procurement was conducted under the Specially Permitted Procurement Procedure (SPPP) and involves the development of a comprehensive digital healthcare platform.

Details before Parliament indicate that two companies including Apeiro Kenya Technologies Limited and Konvergenz Network Solutions Limited were single sourced to be drivers of the new system. Notable is the fact that Mwende Gatabaki- wife of President Ruto’s advisor David Ndii- is a director at Apeiro and MPs are investigating its alleged link to the Adani Group.

Questions have also arisen as to how one government agency can contract an entity to provide an IT solution for Sh104 billion a sum of money can fund operations of an entire ministry for a year.

Kitutu Chache MP Anthony Kibagendi has recently claimed that the deal to set up the IT system was struck even before the two companies were registered as business entities and this, he says was evidenced by the single-sourcing of the companies.

“It (the ministry) has gone ahead to do single- sourcing of the contract to companies that have never provided a social health authority system anywhere in the world.

According to data provided by the Ministry of Health, Safaricom consortium is expected to finance the full project cost and recover their investment over ten years by payments of monthly installments to start on February 2025 based on the successful implementation of the project.

Kibagendi earlier this week however claimed that the project was a ploy by the higher-ups to swindle Kenyans out of their money.

The committee has also poked holes into the IHTS questioning why the ministry opted not to revamp the NHIF system instead of implementing the financially -demanding new system.

“It is not clear why the Ministry is insistent on replacing a system that has been working,” said committee Chair Robert Pukose.

“…From what we’ve seen, this looks like fraud in the making. That’s why we need full transparency before we make any decisions,” he added.

And until the issues addressed are responded to satisfactorily, Kisumu Central MP, Joshua Oron wants the process of implementing the new system halted until there is conformity to the Kenyan law.

 “Is it possible that this process is halted before it proceeds? As leaders we support the launch of the Social Health Authority (SHA), but it should continue using the existing system until the proper procedures are followed.”

It now remains to be seen if MPs will pull a rabbit out of a hat and strop the implementation of the new system, in effect putting in dissaray President William Ruto’s universal health agenda.