Maraga calls for EACC probe SHA over ghost hospitals scandal
His remarks follow mounting public outcry over revelations that billions of shillings may have been siphoned off to non-existent facilities, while many genuine hospitals remain underfunded and poorly equipped.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the Social Health Authority (SHA) over allegations of losses running into billions of shillings through fraudulent payments to ghost hospitals and questionable facilities.
In a statement on Tuesday, Maraga said that all money lost in the scheme must be recovered and those responsible must be prosecuted.
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“Fraudsters must pay. This is not negotiable. If you cannot act, then you are part of the problem. Kenyans demand accountability,” he said.
The retired CJ, who described the health sector as plagued by “unchecked rot,” also demanded that the Ministry of Health, SHA and other relevant authorities make public full details of funds collected through the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), parliamentary allocations to the Primary Health Care Fund and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund, and all payments made to hospitals, suppliers, and vendors, including their identities.
“This information must be made public. Every Kenyan has the right to know how their money is spent, and who is accountable when it is stolen,” Maraga said, insisting that SHA’s digital systems should be used to expose fraud rather than conceal it.
His remarks follow mounting public outcry over revelations that billions of shillings may have been siphoned off to non-existent facilities, while many genuine hospitals remain underfunded and poorly equipped.
Concerns over accountability deepened after the Kenya Master Facility Registry (KMFR) was pulled down, alongside a list of hospital claim payments previously published on the SHA website. The KMFR, a public database containing key information on health facilities such as geographical location, bed capacity and regulatory status, was disabled on Tuesday, making it impossible for the public to verify hospital details and track disbursements.
Maraga condemned the move, terming it a violation of Kenyans’ constitutional right to access information.
Dr Brian Lishenga, chairperson of the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya, also faulted the decision, saying the Ministry of Health had undermined transparency.
“It is a public site, and by pulling it down, the ministry is going against the right to access information. It also shows a ministry that has no control over its own data,” Lishenga said.
Some of the flagged facilities under SHA, which replaced the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), are operating in appalling conditions. Investigations revealed that some hospitals classified as Level 4 lack a single inpatient bed, while others are run from small kiosks.
Maraga warned that SHA leadership will be held directly accountable if it fails to restore transparency, insisting that under his watch, accountability in public institutions will not be a slogan but the standard.
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