Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has filed a court petition seeking to block the rollout of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which was set to begin on October 1, 2024. Together with activists Eliud Matindi and Magare Gikenyi, Omtatah challenges the constitutionality of the SHIF, arguing that the necessary subsidiary legislation to operationalize the Social Health Insurance Act is not in place.

This, they claim, makes the fund’s implementation unlawful.The petition also raises concerns about the government’s decision to award a contract to the Safaricom Consortium for an Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System (IHTS) without proper competitive and transparent procurement processes.

The petitioners are calling for the suspension and annulment of this contract, valued at KSh 104.8 billion.Omtatah’s main contention is that the SHIF cannot be implemented without Parliament approving the required regulations, and the exclusion of the Senate in the process violates the principles of democracy and devolution.