Sirisia Member of Parliament Peter Salasya has revealed plans to table motions to repeal the Social Health Insurance Authority (SHA) and the new university funding as part of rescuing Kenyans from what he terms as ‘unnecessary schemes’.

In an exclusive interview with Kenyans.co.ke, Salasya said he would be seeking to petition the National Assembly’s support to return the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and abandon President William Ruto’s SHA.

“If we want to be fair, we must recall it (SHA) and reinstate the NHIF, and then we can improve it,” he said during an appearance on the Why It Matters podcast. The scheme has 19 million Kenyans registered so far, but only 3.3 million Kenyans are contributing regularly.

According to Salasya, the scheme has failed, and giving it more time is simply playing with the lives of Kenyans. “The system is not going to work because the system has been taken over by cartels,” Salasya said.

SHA has run into tailwinds, and this week, the Ministry of Health revealed the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) that replaced NHIF is facing a cash crisis.

SHIF, which was rolled out in October last year, has faced numerous challenges, but for the first time, the government has openly admitted that the delay in clearing patient payments stems from a funding crisis.

“Health services are expensive, and we cannot have only those in formal employment bearing the burden for the rest of the Kenyan population,” said Dr Patrick Amoth, the Director General of Health.

These are among the concerns that the first-time legislator says are causing the fund to fail. “That money should have been pumped into the NHIF, and we fix things the same way we have fixed things with the eCitizen,” Salasya told Kenyans.co.ke.

Salasya further revealed that he will be introducing a motion to repeal the University Funding Model introduced last year. The new funding model allocates financial support based on students' financial needs. The system uses a Means Testing Instrument (MTI) to assess household income and other factors, categorising students into five bands.

For example, students in Band 1, considered extremely needy, receive a 70 per cent government scholarship, and a 25 per cent loan, and are responsible for a 5 per cent household contribution. Previously, the Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) model provided block funding to institutions based on the courses offered, without considering individual student needs.

Salasya further vowed to oppose the plans to merge the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the University Fund. The Cabinet last month approved the merger of the two, among other parastatals in the country.

“We will not allow HELB to be under the University Fund. It should remain where it is,” he insisted.

While opening up about his plans for the year, Salasya said he will be an advocate for Kenyans and will not cower from being vocal about issues presented in Parliament. He said he would be the first to oppose the planned merger of 42 state agencies, with nine to be dissolved.

“We don’t want, at this point, anyone to tamper with anything,” he asserted.

Sirisia MP Peter Salasya during an interview at Kenyans.co.ke studios on Monday, February 3, 2025.

Photo

Wayne Wachira, Kenyans.co.ke