What You Need to Know
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has criticized the Social Health Authority (SHA) medical scheme, urging teachers to reject its restrictive hospital directives. Speaking in Mombasa, he claimed that the government misrepresents the program’s effectiveness, asserting that it fails to meet the needs of educators who are forced to pay extra for outpatient services. Gachagua encouraged teachers
Africa-Press – Kenya. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a scathing attack on Social Health Authority (SHA) medical scheme, urging teachers to reject what he termed restrictive and unfair hospital directives imposed under the system.
Speaking during a church service at Prophetic Embassy Church of All Nations in Bamburi, Mombasa, Gachagua claimed the government is misleading Kenyans about the performance of the health programme, insisting that it is failing despite official assurances from the highest levels of leadership.
“SHA is not working, but the government is saying it is working,” Gachagua said. “SHA is the greatest fraud in the history of independent Kenya.”
Gachagua, who was addressing congregants alongside opposition figures including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Justin Muturi, and Eugene Wamalwa, claimed that teachers were among the hardest hit by the system, saying many were being forced to top up money to access outpatient services.
He alleged that teachers were also being directed to seek treatment only in specific public facilities, many of which he claimed were under-resourced and struggling to function effectively.
“Teachers are in anguish, as they are being forced to add money to get outpatient treatment, they are also being told to go to county government hospitals,” he said.
“County government hospitals have no drugs, there are no bandages, no gloves. County government hospitals are owed Sh8 billion by SHA.”
Gachagua urged teachers to resist what he described as imposed restrictions on their healthcare choices, arguing that they should instead have the freedom to select their preferred medical facilities.
“I want to tell teachers not to accept to be told which hospitals to go to. It should be the other way round, they are the ones who should decide which hospitals to go to,” he said.
He further called on educators to consider industrial action, suggesting that sustained pressure could force reforms or even a withdrawal from the current scheme in favour of a more reliable insurance model.
“Teachers must wake up and demand from their leaders industrial action so that they can exit SHA and go back to an insurance scheme that will give them good services,” Gachagua added.
The former Deputy President also warned that the system was heading towards collapse, urging private healthcare providers to protect their resources.
“SHA, when it collapses as it will, will be the greatest corporate loss in the history of Kenya,” he said. “We are telling hospitals to be careful so that when SHA collapses, it does not go down with your funds.”
His remarks come amid growing unease over the rollout of the Social Health Authority scheme, which has faced criticism from teachers’ unions, including the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET).
The unions have raised concerns over delays in treatment, system failures, and continued out-of-pocket payments despite government assurances of full coverage.
The Social Health Authority (SHA) was established to provide universal healthcare coverage in Kenya, aiming to improve access to medical services for all citizens. However, since its rollout, the scheme has faced significant backlash, particularly from teachers who report inadequate services and restricted access to healthcare facilities. Critics argue that the SHA has not delivered on its promises, leading to calls for reform and alternative insurance models to better serve the needs of educators and the public.
