Kisii: A section of elected leaders in Kisii County have called upon area residents to support President William Ruto's move to fight corruption at the Social Health Authority (SHA), stating that they stood to benefit from the program. Speaking in Bonyanchara village, Riana Ward, Kisii County, the leaders, who were launching the Last Mile Electrification Connectivity in the area, also called for mass registration into health insurance.
According to Kenya News Agency, South Mugirango MP Silvanus Osoro urged residents to support the government in providing affordable health care, noting that Mombasa was leading in the number of registered members, followed by Nyeri County. Osoro criticized those supporting medical facilities that have been deregistered over alleged corruption, asserting that they were endorsing embezzlement of public resources and risked losing support from the electorate in the next general elections.
Osoro also addressed those threatening to impeach Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale over the alleged scandal, advising them to focus on development and allow investigative agencies to perform their duties. He called for unity among regional leaders, emphasizing that elections were still far off and that politicking should cease, acknowledging William Ruto as the current president of the Republic of Kenya.
Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda highlighted the significance of SHA, claiming that the opposition to it came from cartels within the previous National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Jhanda detailed that SHA had disbursed Sh49 billion to registered members over the past two years and pointed out the stark contrast with NHIF, which had registered only six million people in its 30-year existence, while SHA had registered 25 million people in just two years.
Also present at the event were Kisii County Women Representative Doris Donya Aburi, her Nyamira counterpart Jerusha Momanyi, and nominated senator Esther Okenyuri, among other politicians.