NAIROBI, Kenya – Human rights activist Hanifa Adan has dismissed claims circulating online that Kenya’s new public health insurance scheme helped settle her recent hospital bill, saying the cost was largely covered by her private insurer.
In a statement shared on social media, Adan said her total hospital bill amounted to Sh263,340, of which Sh250,000 was paid by her insurer, AAR Insurance, while she personally settled the remaining Sh13,340.
According to the activist, the state-run Social Health Authority (SHA) did not cover any portion of the bill.
“SHA did not pay for anything, and even if it had, that would not be a favor – it would simply be the system doing what it is meant to do,” she said.
Adan said she had earlier declined to engage government bloggers online until she had verified the details surrounding the bill.
“I have never come here to lie about my experience. I speak my truth, and I detest misinformation just as much as anyone else,” she added.
SHA is ukora. Most hospitals ask you “yako ni comprehensive” meaning that it works for a selected group. There’s another argument “mbona huendi a Govt hospital” which is misplaced. Most of them don’t have the capacity to operate on specific cases.
The activist, who has been vocal on issues affecting young Kenyans and civil rights, said healthcare is a deeply personal matter for her because of what she has witnessed in public hospitals.
“Healthcare in this country is not something I joke about, because I have seen firsthand what ordinary people go through in public hospitals,” she said.
Her remarks come at a time when Kenya is undergoing a major transition in healthcare financing following the establishment of the Social Health Authority, a government agency created to manage public health insurance and oversee the country’s new system under the Social Health Insurance Act.
The authority replaced the long-standing National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and is intended to help Kenya achieve universal health coverage by providing affordable and accessible healthcare services to all citizens.
Under the new structure, the system is built around several funds, including a Primary Healthcare Fund, Social Health Insurance Fund, and an Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund, designed to expand access to medical services across the country.
However, the rollout of the new system has sparked debate among Kenyans, with some raising concerns about access challenges and the transition from the previous NHIF model.
Hello everyone. I said earlier that I wouldn’t go back and forth with government bloggers until I had the facts, and now I do. My total hospital bill was Ksh 263,340. My insurance, AAR, paid Ksh 250,000, and I personally covered the remaining Ksh 13,340. SHA did not pay for
Adan said the focus should be on ensuring the system works for all citizens rather than defending government narratives online.
“Instead of addressing those realities, the government seems more focused on PR – trying to spin its way out of the crisis rather than ensuring that ordinary, vulnerable Kenyans are not stranded in hospitals because they cannot afford care,” she said.
She concluded by arguing that healthcare should be a guaranteed service rather than a matter of chance.
“Healthcare should not be a lottery where we pick and choose who the system works for. It should work for everyone.”