A sick nation: Catholic Bishops warn of health crisis over NHIF, SHA arrears
Catholic Bishops have come out guns blazing warning of a potential total paralysis of the health sector over unsettled debt arrears owed to mission hospitals by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and its successor, the Social Health Authority (SHA)
They have warned that the prolonged financial strain now threatens the survival of faith-based health facilities across the country.
Through the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), the Church said billions of shillings in unpaid claims remain outstanding despite earlier government assurances that all verified NHIF dues would be cleared during the transition to the new social health system.
“The issue of the payment of dues to our hospitals both under SHA and NHIF, to say the least, is crippling our health institutions,” the bishops said in a statement on Thursday, November 13, 2025.
The bishops, led by KCCB Chairman Archbishop Maurice Muhatia (Kisumu), Vice Chairman Archbishop Anthony Muheria (Nyeri), Archbishop Philip Anyolo (Nairobi), and Archbishop Martin Kivuva (Mombasa), said the unpaid arrears have left Catholic-run hospitals in dire financial distress, forcing many to operate under heavy debt while struggling to pay suppliers and medical staff.
“Suppliers are waiting for their money. We need medical supplies; we need to pay staff. Our hospitals are running on deep debts because of these huge arrears,” they said.
Their protest comes weeks after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed that NHIF left behind a Sh10 billion debt, which continues to strain operations in hospitals particularly faith-based, private, and county facilities.
