The Social Health Authority's (SHA) payment of Sh11.4 billion to hospitals has sparked public outrage, with Kenyans demanding an audit, particularly for smaller private hospitals that received disproportionately high payouts.
Concerns have also been raised about a section of hospitals providing inpatient SHA services.
The uproar follows SHA's decision to publicly release a list of all hospitals paid for services on its website, prompting transparency concerns and calls for further scrutiny.
Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Deputy Secretary-General Dennis Miskellah said the Ministry of Health should conduct a hospital audit to prevent facilities from colluding with SHA employees, as was witnessed under the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). "We want to know where these hospitals are located because we have information that people registered imaginary hospitals, and they are being paid by SHA.