Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah heads to court with two others, preventing the Social Health Insurance Fund from breaking ground.
Cabinet Secretary Health Deborah M. Barasa faced tough questions in parliament and failed to provide answers, prompting the move.
Senator Okiya Omtatah, who filed a court petition with Eliud Matindi and Magare Gikenyi to stop the launch of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), also seeks to quash the contract between the government and the Safaricom Consortium, citing concerns over a lack of legislation to operationalize the fund.
It seems the CS of Health doesn't understand the SHIF programme pic.twitter.com/eIdo0hLtZi
— Moe (@moneyacademyKE) September 30, 2024
The subsidiary legislation to operationalise the Social Health Insurance Act is not in place, rendering the implementation of the SHIF unconstitutional.
“We are asking the court to suspend and eventually annul the government’s decision to contract the Safaricom Consortium comprising Safaricom Plc, Konvergenz Network Solutions, and Apeiro Limited to provide the Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System for Universal Health Care,” he said.
President William Ruto will start deducting 2.75 percent of Kenyans’ salaries to fund the SHIF.
