NAIROBI, Kenya – Former National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Mwangi has defended the record of the defunct health insurer while questioning aspects of the transition to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, October 6, as SHA marked two years since the introduction of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), Mwangi said NHIF officials faced accusations and investigations as the government prepared to replace the institution.
Mwangi said cases brought against him and other officials eventually collapsed, arguing that NHIF had not received sufficient recognition for the healthcare services it provided.
“At one point it looked like people had already decided we were guilty before the cases were heard, yet many of those cases eventually collapsed,” Mwangi said.
Mwangi Defends NHIF Record
The former NHIF boss said the institution had established a health insurance system that served millions of Kenyans, challenging the narrative that it had completely failed.
Mwangi claimed NHIF had about six million active contributors before its dissolution, which he said was higher than the number of active contributors currently supporting SHA.
He identified revenue collection rather than registration as one of SHA’s main challenges.
According to Mwangi, SHA has registered more than 32 million Kenyans, but only about five million are active contributors.
He argued that registration figures alone cannot demonstrate the financial sustainability of a health insurance programme, saying the critical measure is the number of people making regular contributions and the system’s ability to finance healthcare services.
Mwangi also identified public trust as essential to the success of health insurance.
“Insurance, you need to have trust for people to pay. Remember, you are selling a promise,” he said.
Leaders Defend SHA Progress
Kacheliba MP Titus Lotee pushed back against the criticism, saying SHA had recorded significant achievements during its first two years and expanded healthcare access to millions of Kenyans.
He argued that the authority’s growing registration figures reflected increased participation in the programme.
Kiminini MP Kakai Bisau also defended SHA, saying more than 32 million Kenyans had been registered and that the authority had collected over Sh203 billion since becoming operational.
The figures cited by the leaders highlight the distinction between the number of people registered under SHA and those making active contributions.
Lawyer Questions Decision To Abolish NHIF
Lawyer Titus Makhanu criticised the decision to replace NHIF, arguing that the government could have pursued reforms within the existing institution rather than abolishing it.
Makhanu also questioned the digital infrastructure supporting SHA and raised concerns over payments previously highlighted by the Auditor-General.
He further argued that many Kenyans continue to face difficulties accessing healthcare services despite the reforms, raising questions about service delivery and implementation.
SHA Transition Remains Ongoing
The discussion also focused on the gap between registration and active contribution levels, with participants agreeing that the long-term sustainability of SHA will depend on increasing the number of people who make regular contributions.
Bisau said the transition should be viewed as a long-term reform rather than a one-time change, arguing that challenges were expected given the scale of the transformation being undertaken in the healthcare sector.
The panel also discussed the ongoing transition to the Health Management Information System (HMIS).
The migration period has been extended to October 14, 2026, allowing health facilities and other stakeholders additional time to complete implementation arrangements.
