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By Mercy Kachenge
Nairobi, Kenya: The Social Health Authority (SHA) has dismissed claims published in a media report alleging that it disbursed KSh20 million to a non-existent facility in
SHA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mercy Mwangangi termed the allegations as false, misleading, and damaging to the principles of accuracy, fairness, and balance in journalism.
According to SHA, Nyandiwa Level 4 Hospital in Gwassi, Suba South, has been fully operational since the 1970s.
The facility, formerly Nyandiwa Dispensary, was upgraded over the years to its current Level 4 status says the Goveernment but the painting on the gate still showed an abandoned Dispensary.
Dr. Mwangangi explained that it retained its original bank account name as Nyandiwa Dispensary during the transition, a common practice among health facilities across the country.
The Authority further clarified that the KSh19,998,720 disbursed to the hospital represents legitimate and accumulated claims processed under SHA’s strict verification protocols.
To date, Nyandiwa Hospital has received a total of KSh751,504 under the Primary Health Care Fund and KSh82,080,706 under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), all duly acknowledged by the facility since October 2024.
SHA also dismissed images of an abandoned structure circulated in the media, saying it was one of the incomplete buildings constructed by a former county administration. “That facility has never been contracted by SHA and has no transacting rights,” the statement read.
After the first circulation of an abandoned dispensary which went viral on Social media, it did not take long before government officials kicked in and started clearing the bushes and opening the gates to make Kenyans believe it was full fledged hospital.
Dr. Mwangangi assured the public that all payments are transparently posted on the SHA website after disbursement and that funds are directed only to contracted and functional health facilities. She emphasized that SHA does not and will never disburse funds to ghost or non-operational hospitals.
The Authority added that the payouts cover multiple benefit packages, including inpatient, outpatient, surgical, maternity, dialysis, mental health, rehabilitation, and oncology services, making direct comparisons between facilities misleading.
Calling on the media to uphold professionalism, SHA urged journalists to exercise due diligence and fact-checking before publication. “A simple verification with SHA or the Homa Bay County Department of Health would have clarified the distinction between Nyandiwa Level 4 Hospital and the uncommissioned structure visited by journalists,” Dr. Mwangangi noted.
The CEO reiterated that accurate reporting on health financing reforms is crucial as Kenya works towards achieving universal health coverage.
