President William Ruto says the government will not pay the Sh30 billion debt claimed by the National Health Insurance Fund unless every claim is verified.
Speaking at St Peter's ACK Cathedral in Siaya County, Ruto said the transition from NHIF to the new Social Health Authority had exposed widespread fraud in hospital claims. He questioned why some hospitals had gone to court to block verification, alleging they feared exposure of fraudulent billing. "We are not going to pay unless we verify, because we are not going to use public funds to pay corrupt people," Ruto said.
The NHIF, which is being phased out, has faced years of corruption scandals involving questionable claims, inflated procurement and weak oversight.
Auditor-General reports have repeatedly flagged irregularities, prompting calls for a complete overhaul of the health insurance system.
