NAIROBI, Kenya – The Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU-K) has called on the government to grant the Social Health Authority (SHA) full control over its IT systems, citing persistent operational challenges that threaten public confidence in the national healthcare scheme.
In a statement on Tuesday, Secretary General Francis Atwoli said COTU-K has for the past month sought a meeting with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to address issues affecting SHA, but the requests have gone unanswered.
Atwoli pointed to SHA’s reliance on IT systems controlled by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Digital Health Authority (DHA) as a major obstacle.
“I am painfully unable to explain to workers what is happening at SHA considering that SHA is being used as a conveyor belt to process payments while it does not control the IT system aimed at addressing the very problems created by the defunct NHIF,” he said.
He argued that SHA’s independent board should operate free from interference, but instead, the authority has been sidelined by the DHA and MoH.
According to COTU-K, the current arrangement prevents SHA from verifying claims or determining rightful payments, leaving the authority unfairly blamed for systemic errors.
“It is the position of COTU-K that unless SHA is given 100% control of its IT platform, workers will lose faith in the institution, affecting compliance and service provision,” Atwoli warned.
The union has even hinted at withdrawing its representation from the SHA board if the concerns are not addressed.
Plans are underway to convene a meeting at Tom Mboya Labour College to deliberate on these challenges.
The controversy comes amid rising public anger over persistent fraud in the government healthcare scheme.
On Monday, SHA pulled down its public portal, which allowed anyone to review monthly hospital payment claims and the Kenya Master Health Facility Registry (KMHFR), a move that has drawn criticism for reducing transparency.
Cabinet Secretary Duale dismissed the union’s concerns as “propaganda and blackmail” by what he described as SHA “saboteurs,” signalling a standoff between the regulator and its critics.
