“Not enough resources channelled to SHA” says says Brian Lishenga

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:01]We've watched that investigative piece that has highlighted something that is very critical and that is debt.

[00:00:07]>> Debt that is owed to hospitals both private um we have the mission hospitals and we have public hospitals and that debt is all the way to 13.7 billion shillings as we speak today. We've just watched um a situation where we we are seeing all these cues of individuals who are waiting to get services.

[00:00:29]Overcrowding in these hospitals is another problem. I'm going to give you a personal example. Last week I went hospital because I had a problem with my eye. I said I've paid up for SH please give me services. I am sorry we can't give you the services because until I use the private insurance that the company provides that is when I got to be treated that is my personal story as a set >> we talk about 13.7 billion shillings that is owed to hospitals what is that doing to the state of healthcare in the country today >> just point of correction it's more than 13.7 billion it's it's a whole lot of money.

[00:01:10]>> If you consider for instance NHF legacy debt which is at 33 billion, we cannot escape that. I mean the health sector is is in the red uh several tens of billions. As at our last checking in August last year before they shut down transparency, we were at 44 billion shillings on SHA and 33 billion shillings on NHF. And remember SHA did not stop accumulating debts. It continues. One of I just want to say this the risk we run in this SH discussion is talking about symptoms.

[00:01:44]Now speaking as a medic >> we are talking about symptoms and not talking about the disease that is affecting SH >> look long cues in hospitals are symptoms patients not getting attended to are symptoms your case is a symptom brown my condolences for the loss of your dad >> this is a symptom >> what is the disease that is ailing >> you know you're talking about a symptom when he lost his father >> yes yes these are paint >> symptoms of failed system >> and as long as we keep describing symptoms. We will never diagnose the problem of sha.

[00:02:18]>> I will uh present it to our listeners that and our viewers that the problem of sh is a financing problem. We have not been able to pull resources into the social health authority sufficiently to settle our medical claims. And I know it's controversial because Kenyans will ask me so I'm paying 2.75%. Yeah, >> it's more than I used to pay on NHF. You know, most most informal sector people have had their premiums go up by about 25%.

[00:02:48]So the average premium now is 676 shillings. Under the flat rate of NHF it was 500. The thing is there are three fundamental problems. One the informal sector is not participating.

[00:03:02]uh we have and and you know Gibbor was talking about this the politicians like myself should stop touting numbers don't tell us 30 million Kenyans have registered means nothing >> the actual numbers are this we have only 1.4 4 million informal sector contributors.