The new health insurance scheme has become the latest subject of heated political and public debate, with accusations now surfacing about bias in the way hospitals are being supported.
What was introduced as a project meant to improve access to healthcare for all Kenyans is now being linked to claims of favouritism and discrimination.
Concerns have been raised at the Ministry of Health as Muslim-sponsored hospitals are allegedly being favoured against Christian ones.
In an exchange on X between the Eugene Wamalwa-led DAP-K party and City lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, the opposition party claimed that the Social Health Authority (SHA) is giving more financial support to Muslim-sponsored hospitals while Christian-sponsored institutions are being sidelined.
These allegations have emerged at a sensitive time when the health insurance scheme is already under public scrutiny due to questions about transparency and management of funds.
DAP-K has accused SHA of directing payments to hospitals owned by Muslims and Somalis while closing or starving Christian-owned facilities of resources.
The party has argued that this is unfair since many of the affected institutions serve large populations and play an important role in providing affordable healthcare across the country.
Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, however, has dismissed these claims and come to the defence of the Kenya Kwanza administration. He praised the reforms being introduced by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, describing them as bold steps that are dismantling long-standing cartels in the health sector.
In his words, “Whether they BAWL OR HOWL, the velocity of reforms by H.E @WILLIAMSRUTO and CS @HonAdenDuale to clear and KILL the cartels that hitherto controlled the health sector are UNSTOPPABLE.”
But DAP-K fired back through its official party handle, questioning Ahmednasir’s stand and insisting that the crackdown has hidden motives.
According to the party, reforms cannot be considered fair if they only target Christian-sponsored facilities while allowing Muslim-owned hospitals to thrive under the same scheme.
They directly mentioned the SHA chairman, who they claim has been directing millions of shillings to hospitals owned by him, raising questions about conflict of interest and misuse of public resources.“SC so you happy that Duale is paying SHA funds to facilities owned by Muslims and Somalis but closing down Christian-owned facilities that serve millions of Kenyans. If SHA chairman can pay millions to his own facility and nothing is done, what kind of cartels is he fighting?” the party asked.
The debate highlights the deep mistrust surrounding the rollout of the health insurance reforms. While the government insists that the changes are necessary to eliminate corruption and improve efficiency, the opposition argues that the process is biased and politically influenced.
For many ordinary Kenyans who rely on these hospitals for treatment, the unfolding standoff has created new worries about whether healthcare access will become another tool for division instead of a bridge toward fairness and equity.
