Taifa Care Launch in Kakamega Amid Hospital Closures and Fraud Concerns

The Kenyan government’s ambitious drive towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has taken a visible turn in Kakamega County, as the Ministry of Health rolled out the Taifa Care Model, aiming to provide affordable, quality healthcare for every Kenyan. 

But beyond the fanfare and pledges lies a tangled reality of delayed payments, hospital closures and allegations of fraud that continue to challenge the healthcare system.

On 3rd September 2025 in Kakamega, Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale, accompanied by senior ministry officials, engaged healthcare providers and patients on the workings of the Social Health Authority (SHA), handed over digital devices to strengthen service delivery, and emphasized the role of the government in transforming healthcare at the county level.

“These efforts are part of the Ministry's bold reforms driving the rollout of the Taifa Care Model under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), ensuring that all Kenyans, regardless of age, location, or economic status, can access quality, affordable healthcare services,” Duale stated.

He was welcomed by Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, joined by Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr. Ouma Oluga, SHA CEO Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, Digital Health Agency CEO Eng. Anthony Lenayara, and other senior officials.

St. Mary’s Hospital: A Stark Reminder of Systemic Challenges

Even as Duale laid out ambitious plans, the closure of St. Mary’s Hospital in Mumias remained fresh in the minds of residents and health workers alike. The hospital, a cornerstone of healthcare in the region, had been forced to suspend operations due to unpaid dues from both NHIF and SHA. 

Staff, including doctors and nurses, protested for months over delayed salaries and poor working conditions, leaving hundreds of patients stranded.

Duale assured that the government would address these backlogs:

“President William Ruto has issued a directive for the settlement of NHIF arrears. The Ministry of Health is waiting for the National Treasury to introduce a supplementary budget to release Ksh 5.3 billion owed to facilities across the country within the next two months.”

Even as payments trickled in, the hospital’s debt burden proved difficult to clear. Reports indicate that St. Mary’s had accumulated approximately Ksh 180 million in arrears, with Ksh 140 million owed by NHIF and Ksh 40 million by SHA. Despite SHA disbursing Ksh 83 million, the hospital could not sustain operations, forcing the dismissal of over 200 staff members.

Amid the unfolding saga, Bishop Joseph Obanyi, head of mission schools and hospitals under the Catholic umbrella in Kakamega, offered a perspective tempered with caution.

“Since its inception, SHA has been actively paying out claims, with Ksh 98 million already disbursed in Kakamega. The pending bills, roughly Ksh 35 million, are in the process of verification. Once the necessary documents are resubmitted, the claims will be paid in batches, offering hope to healthcare providers who have been waiting for their dues.”

To stabilize healthcare provision, Duale announced Ksh 100 million allocated to Kakamega County hospitals, with Ksh 14 million earmarked for immediate disbursement to St Mary's hospital Mumias.

Recognizing the particular vulnerabilities of teenage mothers, he revealed.

“Any teenage mother should be registered with SHA using their birth certificate and will receive free services in hospital until they are 18 years of age, since the government has allocated Ksh 10 million to cater for them.”

Bishop Joseph Obanyi assures Kakamega residents that SHA arrears at St. Mary’s Hospital Mumias are being resolved.

These injections, he said, were expected to alleviate operational pressures and improve the quality of care.

While financial support is essential, Duale was emphatic that technology would be a cornerstone of reform. The newly established Digital Health Agency (DHA) is designed to digitize health records and supply chains, creating a fraud-proof network across hospitals.

“There will be no Panadol that will be stolen from the hospitals in the country,” Duale declared. “SHA is not a joke, and I am urging every Kenyan to register and be sure of good health services within the health facilities in Kenya. It is a very important insurance that is now digitized to erase all manner of fraud that no one will be able to steal any drug from any hospital in Kenya without being caught by the ministry of health using DHA, an artificial intelligence system that detects fraud at any cost.”

Health CS Aden Duale hands over digital devices to hospitals in Kakamega County to strengthen service delivery.

The digital initiative responds to years of theft and mismanagement in public hospitals, where essential drugs often vanished unnoticed.

Ghost Hospitals and the Money Trail

Yet, challenges persist. Investigations have exposed fake hospitals and inflated claims siphoning billions from NHIF and SHA. According to reports about four private hospitals were found to have diverted approximately Ksh 700 million for non-existent patients, while audits revealed that 27 hospitals were involved in falsifying claims worth about Ksh 20 billion.

Several medical personnel and facilities were suspended as part of ongoing investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

With such revelations,it highlights the urgency for oversight and robust systems to ensure taxpayer money reaches the right facilities and patients.

As Kakamega residents and healthcare workers absorb the promises of financial support and digital reform, they remain cautiously optimistic. The stakes are high, for the commitments to translate into tangible change, SHA and DHA must ensure that funds flow efficiently, hospitals remain open, and medical supplies reach patients without diversion.

“The fight against fraud is no longer just about catching thieves but about building a system that makes theft impossible,” Duale noted.

For now, the community watches closely, hoping that the digital health revolution and financial injections herald the start of a more equitable, accountable healthcare system, rather than another cycle of unfulfilled promises.