Nyeri County Referral Hospital has appealed to Parliament to recover Sh16.7 million mistakenly paid to a neighbouring private facility by the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr. Benson Muchiri, told the National Assembly’s Health Committee that between February and May 2025, SHA erroneously processed claims totaling Sh56.1 million in favour of the other hospital. By the time the error was detected, the neighbouring facility had already spent Sh16,756,200. The remaining Sh39.3 million was redirected to Nyeri Referral Hospital.
Dr. Muchiri highlighted that delayed claim settlements continue to strain the hospital’s operations. As of August 2025, the facility was owed Sh142.5 million, with only 58% of total claims worth Sh339.6 million settled. He also noted that the defunct NHIF still owed the hospital Sh156.6 million.
Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge, leading the committee, pledged to pursue corrective action, stressing that similar errors had affected other hospitals. The committee’s inspection of local public and private facilities, including PCEA Tumutumu Mission Hospital, revealed significant challenges in SHA operations that could undermine the sustainability of healthcare provision.
This exercise has helped gather critical data to improve the new medical insurance scheme for the benefit of Kenyans, Mathenge said.