Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna criticises the government’s approach for measuring the success of the Social Health Authority (SHA), alleging that the number of registered members should not be the main indicator of the scheme’s performance.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV, Sifuna alleges the government has placed too much emphasis on registration figures instead of focusing on whether Kenyans are actually receiving quality healthcare through the scheme.
According to Sifuna , a successful health insurance program should be judged by the number of people accessing medical services and the quality of care they receive.
He maintained that registration alone does not guarantee that citizens are benefiting from the healthcare system.
“For President Ruto, the success of SHA is how many people have registered. We are telling him that this is not a national registration bureau,” Sifuna said.
He claims that the true test of SHA is whether patients can visit hospitals, receive treatment without unnecessary delays, and access essential medicines without financial hardship.
Sifuna’s remarks come as the government continues to encourage more Kenyans to enroll in SHA, describing the scheme as a key pillar of the country’s universal healthcare agenda.
However, concerns have been raised by some patients, healthcare providers, and political leaders over delays in service delivery, payment challenges, and access to treatment under the new system.
The senator urges the government to shift its focus from celebrating registration numbers to ensuring that every registered Kenyan can access reliable, affordable, and quality healthcare whenever they need it.
He said that is the standard by which the success of SHA should ultimately be measured .
