Ruto confronts Esther Passaris over SHA claims concerns
Karen Hospital has disputed claims that the Social Health Authority (SHA) owes the facility millions of shillings in unpaid claims. This follows Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris raising the issue during the Kenya Health Summit 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. The matter triggered a direct exchange between […]
At the Kenya Health Summit 2026, Social Health Authority (SHA) claims regarding unpaid hospital reimbursements were disputed by Karen Hospital CEO Juliet Gikonyo. This followed a heated exchange between President William Ruto and Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris, who had raised the issue during the event. Passaris had quoted Dan Gikonyo, the founder of Karen Hospital, as expressing concerns over delayed reimbursements from SHA.
When asked for specific details, Passaris suggested calling Dan Gikonyo, but he was reportedly in theatre at the time. Mercy Mwangangi, a SHA official, provided figures stating that Karen Hospital had submitted claims worth Ksh 302 million since SHA's inception, of which 66.5% had been paid (Ksh20 million). However, 9.5 million in claims had been rejected, and an additional Ksh40 million had been returned for further documentation.
Ruto emphasized the importance of accurate information during discussions about SHA payments, urging Passaris to verify her sources before making public claims. Gikonyo subsequently denied that Karen Hospital had not received payments from SHA, calling the suggestion "fake news". Ruto reiterated his preference for factual discussions, stating, "We want to answer the facts."
Written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
