Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has once again taken on President William Ruto’s administration, this time over the ongoing scandal at the Social Health Authority.
He accused the government of diverting money that was meant to improve healthcare services and using it instead for political activities and bribery.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, Gachagua said that funds deducted from ordinary Kenyans through the mandatory health scheme were being misused at the highest levels of government.
He claimed that the money was not going where it was intended but instead was ending up in questionable programs and political deals that do not benefit citizens.
According to him, Kenyans trusted that their contributions would secure better healthcare, but what is happening has betrayed that trust.
He directly accused President William Ruto of allowing these funds to be used for political empowerment activities and even alleged that bribes were being issued from State House using SHA resources.
He challenged the president to explain how such money was being allocated and why Kenyans were being burdened only to have their contributions misused.
In his words, the money deducted from workers’ salaries and payments made by families to the Social Health Authority were being used in ways that went against the intended purpose of healthcare reform.
Gachagua described the scandal as one of an unknown magnitude, suggesting that its depth is yet to be fully revealed.
He called out Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, saying that in a functioning democracy, such a Cabinet Secretary would have already stepped aside or been removed from office.
He argued that leadership accountability was missing and insisted that those responsible for mismanagement must face consequences.
His remarks come at a time when revelations about suspicious payments have unsettled the public.
Billions of shillings are reported to have been disbursed to little-known hospitals under the new scheme, raising serious questions about oversight and transparency.
The concerns are particularly worrying given that the SHA was introduced less than a year ago, with promises of fixing Kenya’s healthcare system and ensuring that no family is pushed into poverty because of hospital bills.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has responded to the growing outrage by assuring Kenyans that action is being taken.
He announced that some hospitals suspected of making fraudulent claims have been suspended.
However, critics argue that these measures are not enough and that accountability must go higher within the system.
Many Kenyans remain anxious, fearing that what was meant to be a solution for healthcare challenges could end up becoming another scandal-ridden scheme that drains their resources without offering real benefits.
This debate has placed the Social Health Authority at the center of public discourse, with calls for transparency, accountability, and immediate reforms.
