COTU threatens to quit SHA board, cites lack of autonomy
COTU boss Francis Atwoli, accused the Ministry of Health and the Digital Health Authority of exercising undue influence over SHA, saying this has crippled its ability to verify hospital claims and manage workers’ contributions effectively.
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) has slammed the Social Health Authority (SHA) for lacking independence, warning that it may withdraw from the agency’s board unless it is granted full control of its operations and information technology systems.
In a statement on Tuesday, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli accused the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Digital Health Authority (DHA) of exercising undue influence over SHA, saying this has crippled its ability to verify hospital claims and manage workers’ contributions effectively.
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Atwoli, who represents workers on the SHA board, said the authority was being reduced to a mere rubber stamp.
“I am painfully unable to explain to workers what is happening at SHA, considering that SHA is being used as a conveyor belt to process payments while it does not control the IT system aimed at addressing the very problems created by the defunct NHIF,” he said.
He noted that the continued dominance of DHA and the Health Ministry undermines the legal mandate of SHA.
“It is even more disturbing that even though SHA has its own independent Board which must be allowed to operate in line with its founding legislation, an amorphous entity, DHA, alongside the Ministry of Health, continues to make SHA play secondary to them,” Atwoli said.
He further warned that the current arrangement was eroding trust among Kenyan workers. He lamented that workers contribute faithfully to the Social Health Insurance with the understanding that SHA is fully in charge of their funds.
“It is, therefore, unacceptable that workers’ hard-earned money is managed through an ‘amorphous’ arrangement where DHA and MoH control critical systems,” he said.
The COTU boss insisted that SHA must be given full control of its IT platform to restore public confidence.
“Unless SHA is given 100 per cent control of its IT platform, workers will lose the faith and trust they have in the institution, which will affect compliance and provision of services,” he said.
He disclosed that COTU had already raised these concerns at the board level, but would not hesitate to pull out if no changes are made.
“COTU has raised these concerns at the SHA Board level, and if no action is taken, we shall be forced to reconsider our position. Indeed, we are currently contemplating whether to continue sitting on a Board that has no authority or to withdraw entirely,” Atwoli said.
COTU said it would soon convene a meeting at Tom Mboya Labour College to deliberate on its next move.
The standoff comes as SHA continues to face public scrutiny over alleged mismanagement of funds. On Monday, Health CS Aden Duale dismissed claims that the authority had been paying ghost hospitals, clarifying that many of the facilities flagged online had already been sanctioned earlier in the year.
“No amount of propaganda or blackmail will deter us from fixing our healthcare system,” Duale said, adding that the ministry had started recovering misused funds and urged Kenyans to report any suspicious activity through SHA’s toll-free line, 147.
SHA also recently denied reports that it had disbursed nearly Sh20 million to a deserted hospital in Homa Bay, explaining that the money went to Nyandiwa Level 4 Hospital, which still uses its old dispensary account name.
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