The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested five people in connection with fraud and non-compliance linked to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The arrests come a month after the investigative agency received 1,188 files from the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC).
“The files pertain to individuals, organisations, and various parties believed to be involved in healthcare fraud, thereby undermining government initiatives to provide quality healthcare services to the public,” said the DCI.
The DCI, which formed a multi-agency team to review the files, said the probe is at various stages of investigation, with the five suspects set for arraignment.
“Currently, five suspects are in custody pending arraignment on Monday, October 6, 2025. Efforts to apprehend additional suspects are already underway, following approval from the ODPP,” it said.
The suspects will face various charges, including offences under the Penal Code, the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Social Health Insurance Act, and the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act.
The DCI also expressed commitment to tackling healthcare fraud through collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, by holding all offenders accountable and ensuring that all assets and resources acquired fraudulently are recovered.
“The public will be kept informed on the progress of the investigations through regular updates,” concluded the statement.
The development comes amid a firm stance by President Ruto, who reiterated his commitment to ensuring the success of the Social Health Authority (SHA), insisting that the new health scheme will not be derailed by corruption or fraud.
He said the government is using digitized systems to expose and eliminate the networks that previously drained public funds through the collapsed NHIF.
Speaking during a meeting on August 27, 2025, at State House, Nairobi, the President said SHA is already playing a major role in uncovering fraudulent activities that have plagued the health sector for years.
He blamed theft for the downfall of the NHIF, which ran into a Sh30 billion debt, and assured the public that those mistakes would not be repeated under the new framework.
“The theft that collapsed NHIF into Sh30 billion debt will not happen under SHA. The digitization process of SHA is what is making us detect all the fraudulent claims, all the ghost hospitals, and all the fake patients attempting to carry out fraud,” Ruto said.