NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has pledged to abolish the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and reinstate the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) if elected president, citing what he termed mismanagement and vulnerability of public health funds to theft.
Speaking during a Citizen TV interview on Sunday, Musyoka described the current health financing system as “terrible,” warning that individuals exploiting loopholes were already attempting to evade accountability.
“We should go back to NHIF and stop the stealing, because this money is going to people’s pockets, and we do not know how much money is enough for some of these people. By the way, I hear that a lot of them are already beginning to see that the inevitable will happen, so they’re beginning to make ways of exiting even before they are caught up. I think it’s a terrible situation,” he said.
The Wiper party leader also criticised the rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), saying it had created confusion among parents, teachers and students, particularly as learners transition to Grade 10.
Musyoka claimed that many parents were unsure how to guide their children and raised concern over what he described as the closure of about 360 day schools, arguing that the developments reversed gains made under former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s free day secondary school programme.
He further faulted the implementation of CBC under President William Ruto, saying the transition was rushed and left thousands of trained teachers without employment, including about 44,000 interns.
“It’s a complete confusion in the education sector, and we must set it right. Even teachers do not know how to navigate CBC. Students are being assessed, and scoring well can result in an E. Psychologically, an E is considered a failure. Now they even have double E or other categories, which shows they implemented a system they were not fully sure about. These are things we must correct,” he said.
Musyoka said education reforms would be prioritised under his administration, arguing that confusion in the sector risks long-term consequences for future generations.
Reflecting on his tenure as Education Minister, he highlighted reforms he introduced to ban corporal punishment, saying he would continue to protect children’s rights while balancing discipline and welfare.
The former vice president also criticised plans to privatise state-owned enterprises, describing the process as flawed and vulnerable to abuse.
“How do you sell the parastatals and then run them as companies limited by shares, which means some fellow will just wake up and buy everything? We cannot accept this. We can’t accept it,” he said.
Musyoka urged Kenyans to remain hopeful despite rising medical costs, food insecurity and broader economic pressures, calling for resistance against what he termed governance confusion.
He also warned against allowing electoral institutions to undermine public confidence, urging youth participation in civic processes and promising reforms to safeguard democratic accountability.
“We must not give up, and we must firmly say no to misrule and confusion in governance. Never again should we allow an institution like IEBC to mess up the people’s future… The time is now. Keep hope alive,” he said.
