A section of the clergy has urged the Social Health Authority (SHA) to urgently release funds owed to hospitals, warning that continued delays threaten access to essential healthcare services across the country.
Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) said while the church appreciates ongoing reforms in the health sector, the mounting debt owed by the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and SHA to private hospitals has forced some facilities to suspend services, leaving patients stranded.
“We demand with Kenyans that SHA put her house in order and prioritize payments of funds owed to all hospitals to enable them to continue to offer services,” Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit said in a press conference on Thursday in Nairobi.
He warned that without urgent action, the government’s promise of universal healthcare risked collapsing under the weight of inefficiencies, unpaid claims, and frustrated service providers.
The Archbishop further urged SHA to embrace transparency and accountability in its operations to restore public confidence in the restructured health system.
The leaders also expressed alarm over what he termed as persistent challenges in the education sector.
Ole Sapit cited the delayed release of government capitation funds and the rising cost of learning as major obstacles that were denying thousands of children and young adults access to quality education.
He alleged that more than 42,000 qualified students failed to apply for university placement this year, pointing to the growing affordability crisis.
The further called on the government to urgently address lecturers’ grievances to end perennial strikes that continue to disrupt academic calendars and drain parents’ resources.
“The crisis in the education sector cannot just be wished away. Delayed capitation, coupled with an unaffordable education system, is putting learning beyond the reach of many. We call upon the government to release on time school and university capitation to enable these institutions to run smoothly,” he said.
He also decried constant strikes by university lecturers, which he said not only compromise education standards but also cause parents and students to lose both time and money.
The ACK leader challenged the government to permanently resolve lecturers’ grievances to end the cycle of industrial action that has plagued public universities for years.
On the political front, Ole Sapit called for sobriety, cautioning leaders against launching early campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Whereas it is a democratic right for parties to campaign, we urge political leaders to focus more on service delivery and spare the nation from early campaigns,” he said.
