Nominated Member of Parliament (MP) Sabina Chege has defended the Social Health Authority (SHA) deductions, arguing that they offer a more sustainable solution compared to the numerous medical harambees that burden many Kenyans every weekend.
Speaking on K24 TV on Friday, July 25, 2025, Chege argued that contributing monthly to a national health scheme is far more manageable than being constantly called upon to fundraise for medical emergencies.
“And for me, I’d rather have money deducted from my salary every month, let’s say Ksh30,000, instead of attending harambees five or ten or twenty every weekend. It is not affordable,” she stated.
She expressed concern over the frequency of harambees, highlighting the desperation many families face when they cannot afford healthcare.
“And it is very sad to see these harambees come up because people cannot afford them. Some of the people who could not afford health insurance have had to pay as low as Ksh300 under SHA, she added.
Sabina Chege posing for a photo during a previous event. PHOTO/@SABINACHEGE/X
She acknowledged that higher earners may find the new deductions costly compared to the previous NHIF contributions, which were capped at Ksh1,700. However, she emphasised that the SHA is designed to foster equity.
“Maybe for a person who has a high salary, it is expensive because the maximum we paid for insurance was Ksh1700. The higher your earnings, the higher your SHA payments. And this is the system the government came up with: if you earn more, you help people at the bottom to afford healthcare,” she added.
SHA Implementation
However, Chege was quick to point out that implementation remains the scheme’s biggest weakness. She called for an overhaul of how SHA is managed, particularly in terms of reimbursements to healthcare facilities.
“The only thing I’d say is that these systems are to call out the implementers. We need an overhaul in implementation. How are we repaying facilities that provide services? Let us not have facilities that are preferred and are paid for, while others stay 5/6 months without payments.
“We cannot say we will pay facilities that have offered maternal services and leave out those that have offered surgery. If we say we are paying 50 per cent, let us pay everybody who has given services at 50 percent.”
By K24 Digital