Ladies and gents, welcome to Kenya’s newest season of “How to Rob a Nation in Broad Daylight,” starring none aside from the federal government itself, assisted by a shadowy forged of personal people who now personal and management a healthcare system meant for the folks.
Yes, in case you have been questioning, you aren’t hallucinating—the KES 104 billion Social Health Insurance (SHA) system, which ought to have been beneath authorities management, has as a substitute been handed over to a non-public consortium. And for added leisure, the federal government is legally forbidden from making a competing system. That’s proper—this isn’t only a heist; it’s a monopoly wrapped in a legislative straightjacket.
For these holding depend, which means that the well being data of thousands and thousands of Kenyans at the moment are on the mercy of an unique membership of personal people whose names you’ll by no means know however whose pockets will develop heavier every time you contribute to SHA. And lest you suppose the federal government may, in some unspecified time in the future, regain management, suppose once more. The consortium owns not simply the system however each single element of it, together with the mental property. The solely factor the federal government will get is the bodily infrastructure—fancy buildings with no brains. It’s like shopping for a automotive however being informed you don’t personal the engine, the wheels, or the keys.
Now, who’re these beneficiant souls who’ve been gifted such a profitable deal? The Auditor General’s report conveniently factors fingers at Adani Holdings, an Indian agency with deep pockets and a repute for being on the proper place on the proper time when billion-dollar offers are up for grabs. With personal people anticipated to rake in KES 11 billion yearly, SHA has formally remodeled from a social well being program into an elite money cow, and the federal government is merely its bewildered herder.
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The system is so nicely designed to siphon off funds that it comes with a built-in tax disguised as “service charges.” The consortium will accumulate 2.5% from each contribution by members, skim off 5% from claims made by well being amenities, and even snatch 1.5% for monitor and hint companies. Essentially, each Kenyan who falls sick won’t simply be paying for therapy but additionally guaranteeing {that a} choose few people can afford to vacation within the Maldives, all because of a “public” medical insurance system.
If you have been hoping for some accountability on this grand scheme, put together for disappointment. An escrow agent—appointed by each the federal government and the consortium—is ready to gather a staggering KES 111 billion over the following 10 years. Who precisely this agent is, and what oversight mechanisms are in place, stays a thriller wrapped in a riddle inside a authorities vault labeled “None of Your Business.”
The most laughable, or somewhat, tear-inducing a part of this whole association is the clause that explicitly forbids the federal government from growing any different system that may supply competitors. This isn’t just corruption; it’s premeditated financial subjugation. Kenyan residents at the moment are completely chained to this personal entity for his or her healthcare wants, very similar to a cow that should return to the identical trough for water, even when the proprietor decides to cost per sip.
Where was Parliament when this deal was being signed? Where was the Ministry of Health? Did they blink, nod, or just money in? It takes a rare stage of both incompetence or collusion to permit such a nationwide betrayal to move as coverage. The identical authorities that claims it lacks funds for crucial healthcare infrastructure in some way discovered it prudent to lock taxpayers right into a multi-decade dependency on personal profiteers.
This is not only a coverage failure—it’s state-sponsored financial violence. Millions of Kenyans will now be pressured to contribute to a system the place their very own authorities has no management. The personal consortium, like a puppeteer, will dictate prices, declare approvals, and even system entry. And when hospitals wrestle with delayed funds or declare denials, who might be held accountable? Certainly not the faceless personal people who personal SHA.
If you’re in search of a contemporary instance of legally privatize public struggling, look no additional. This will not be medical insurance—it’s an extortion racket with authorities blessings. And for the cherry on high, when issues inevitably collapse, the identical authorities will feign shock, promising investigations and activity forces that may produce nothing however mud and frustration.
Kenya has formally transitioned from being a corrupt state to being a captured one. The traces between authorities coverage and personal profiteering have been so masterfully blurred that one wonders whether or not public places of work now exist solely to funnel wealth upwards. This isn’t just about healthcare—it’s a microcosm of a bigger drawback the place nationwide sources and companies are more and more designed to profit a privileged few on the expense of the struggling many.
In the approaching days, anticipate authorities spokespeople to present their typical drained excuses. They will inform you that SHA is for “efficiency” and “improved service delivery.” They will declare that private-sector involvement was crucial. They will even accuse critics of being “anti-development.” But don’t be fooled—it is a rip-off, engineered with precision and executed with a stage of vanity that means they’re certain Kenyans will do nothing about it.
The query is: will we? Or will we merely sigh, shake our heads, and return to hoping that sometime, in some way, our leaders will develop a conscience? If historical past is any information, ready for integrity on this authorities is as futile as anticipating rain within the Sahara.
Kenyans, the SHA rip-off isn’t just theft—it’s the promoting of your proper to healthcare. If this doesn’t anger you, then nothing ever will.
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