- Ruto was speaking on March 10, 2026, during the joint Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) at the KICC in Nairobi.
President William Ruto has dismissed allegations that Sh50 billion is missing from the Social Health Authority (SHA) and Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
Ruto was speaking on March 10, 2026, during the joint Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) at the KICC in Nairobi.
“Forget the propaganda that we lost Ksh. 50 billion. This week alone we are paying Ksh. 16.2 billion for SHIF. We are paying the highest amounts of money to any hospital that has ever been paid under any administration,” he said.
His remarks come after the Nation Media Group (NMG) published a story citing an Auditor General’s report that flagged systemic failures, including fictitious medical claims and alleged missing billions.
Ministry Pushes Back
The office of the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Health Aden Duale responded, accusing the report of being misinterpreted. According to the Ministry, the figures highlighted represent statutory accounting provisions, legal benefit packages, and transitional bank transfers—not missing cash.
“The Ministry of Health and the Social Health Authority respect the role of the media in fostering public accountability. However, presenting statutory accounting estimates, legal benefits packages, and standard transitional bank transfers as ‘missing’ or ‘looted’ funds is a gross misinterpretation of facts,” the statement read in part.
The Ministry has stressed that the Sh50 billion figure was drawn from standard accounting reserves and legally sound payments, including benefits for teachers and statutory transfers.
Call for Responsible Reporting
The Ministry urged media houses to present facts objectively and avoid headlines that fuel panic.
“We demand that Nation Media Group explains to the public how standard accounting reserves, legal benefits for teachers, and statutory bank transfers amount to ‘Ksh 50 billion in suspicious payments,’ especially when the correct facts were readily available and provided to you,” the Ministry said.
