Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has criticised the government’s dysfunctional transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying it was unnecessarily rushed.

The new public healthcare system, which President William Ruto recently renamed ‘Taifa Care’, has been heavily criticised for its meagre benefits as well as cries from Kenyans unable to access healthcare under it since the transition began in early October.

But Ruto and senior government officials like his health cabinet secretary, Deborah Barasa, have defended it and even called for patience from Kenyans.

In a Sunday evening interview with NTV, Gachagua, who was in October booted out of Ruto’s government through an impeachment motion, said the SHA roll-out was “hurried,” arguing that “there was no sufficient reason to move hastily from NHIF.”

“Looking at the mathematics surrounding that program, I found that it would have cost us between Ksh.700 million and Ksh.800 million to upgrade the system that was running NHIF and make it compliant,” the former DP, citing unnamed experts.

“Yet we are moving to a new program costing Ksh.104 billion!”

Gachagua, called it “pure theft of public funds”, adding “My very honest view is that that is the crux of the matter; it is what the rush is about. The focus is the Ksh.104 billion.”

The former deputy president criticised Ruto’s administration for what he described as coercion and blackmail into registering for the new public healthcare scheme despite negative public sentiment about it.

“As an elected leader, you cannot dismiss what the people feel and think about a system… patients are going through hell… you cannot decide you will do what you have set to do as Kenyans complain,” Gachagua told the television station.

“If something is good, it is people who should be rushing to register… if it reaches a place you have to intimidate and blackmail people that unless you register for this program, your child will not be registered into school, there is a problem.”

He maintained that he was not involved in any stage of the health program’s conceptualisation and roll-out, and alleged that some members of President Ruto’s economic advisory council have spouses involved in SHA.

“There is clearly a conflict of interest, the whole thing is not straight,” said Gachagua, without giving names.

However, when pressed about his responsibility in some of the controversial policies Ruto’s administration has rolled out such as SHA, Gachagua – who had served as DP for more than two years – pointed to the allegations levelled against him in his ouster motion, like insubordination.

He said it was coded language to kick him out of office because he opposed Ruto’s administration’s policies he deemed punitive to Kenyans, for which he now says he “paid heavily.”

“I have gotten where I am today because I refuse to betray the people of Kenya; what is not right I said and where the people of Kenya raised problems, I would tell the President about it,” said Gachagua.

With SHIF, all Kenyans are required to part with 2.75 per cent of their income, with the base contribution being Ksh.300. 

Members of the old NHIF were automatically enrolled into SHA without consent, which sparked additional criticism from a section of Kenyans.

The Council of Governors (COG) was also among the parties that accused the national government of bypassing them in implementing SHA.

Last month, Health CS Barasa maintained that “services are being offered and people are being treated” under SHA, “but the challenge has been with sensitization.”

“One of the challenges we have noted is on community sensitization; we encourage the political elite; MCAs, MPs, governors and senators to talk about SHA to ensure people are registering,” Dr Barasa said.

A week later, during his November 21 State of the Nation address when he rebranded SHA to Taifa Care, President Ruto said more than 15 million Kenyans were enrolled in the scheme.

"Once the transition from NHIF is complete and SHIF becomes fully operational, Kenya will have a healthcare system that guarantees dignity, peace of mind and equitable access for every citizen for the very first time in our 60 years of independence," Ruto told Parliament then.