Murang’a County has scored a significant victory as the Social Health Authority (SHA) acknowledged a Ksh207 million debt owed to the county.
In an update on Thursday, January 8, Governor Irungu Kang’ata said the development comes following a high-level meeting with SHA CEO Mercy Mwangangi.
Kang’ata confirmed that SHA has agreed to start settling the arrears, with an initial Ksh47 million scheduled for release by January 14.
“Held a meeting with SHA CEO Dr Mwangangi. SHA agreed on Ksh207 million owing to Murang’a; will release Ksh47 million by 14th Jan; Kangatacare last expense Ksh11.3 million for 113 persons in 1 week. Thanks Duale for facilitating dialogue,” he said.
This comes months after the Rural & Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) called out Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale over outstanding premiums totaling Ksh7.8 billion owed by the Ministry of Health to the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
In a post on Friday, October 31, 2025, RUPHA highlighted that the Ministry of Health owes the largest share of unpaid premiums among all government ministries, departments, and agencies as of 30th September 2024.
According to a summary report on outstanding premiums from the government, the Ministry of Health’s debt of Ksh7.827 billion is allocated across various health programs.
The Universal Health Coverage for Indigents accounts for the largest portion at Ksh4 billion, followed by the Linda Mama program at Ksh2.122 billion.
The Health Insurance Subsidy Program for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (HISP-OVC) owes Ksh1.415 billion, while HISP for Other Poor and Vulnerable Persons with Severe Disabilities (OPPSD) accounts for Ksh289.5 million.
“So Aden Duale when is your Ministry settling its 7.8B? This is enough for 91% of all hospitals in Kenya,” RUPHA stated in their post.
Earlier last year, Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Nyeri revealed that faith-based hospitals were grappling with unpaid NHIF amounts exceeding Ksh250 million, blaming the ongoing transition to SHA for pushing many hospitals into financial distress.
“We still have over Ksh250 million owed to us by the government for the last four years. We try, we cry, we appeal, we plead but we seem to receive noncommittal responses.
“In any industry or a company, Ksh250 million is a debt that paralyses an institution, yet we have continued offering services,” he said.
Catholic Church leaders urged the government to reimburse the money, enabling hospitals to continue offering services to Kenyans.
They noted that the unpaid debts were undermining their efforts to improve healthcare delivery, despite their commitment to serving vulnerable communities.
